Current medical imaging modalities in the cardiovascular field are mostly restricted to anatomical and functional explorations. For instance, myocardial perfusion imaging using nuclear medicine modalities is a well established functional technique for ischemic heart disease diagnosis and patient decision management. Such imaging approaches are unable to reveal the cellular and molecular events that occur in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases resulting in a potentially less accurate and timely diagnosis and treatment The shift from a functional assessment to a molecular characterization of cardiovascular diseases is ongoing and nuclear imaging modalities represent a precious tool thanks to the possibility to non-invasively image a target in vivo using radiotracers. As an increasing number of targets able to decipher pathophysiological mechanisms of cardiovascular diseases have been recently identified, basic and clinical nuclear molecular imaging may have the potential to enter in the era of individual precision medicine.
Molecular imaging enables the in vivo visualization and quantification of targets of interest with positron emission tomography (PET) being the already established modality in the clinic. However, the use of PET in cardiovascular diseases is still limited and effort is needed to transfer nuclear and hybrid molecular imaging approaches from basic research to clinical applications.
One of the major challenges in the context of cardiovascular diseases including atherosclerosis is the detection of inflammatory processes occurring in the diseased tissue micro-environment and identify their association with clinical outcomes. The impact of chronic inflammatory diseases such as atherosclerosis is known to be major in terms of global morbidity and mortality. There are still gaps to fill in order to better understand the underlying processes by which the immune and inflammatory responses are activated and sustained. Therefore, new insights obtained in situ at the cellular and molecular levels are of utmost importance. Ultimately, nuclear molecular imaging of cardiovascular inflammation may then be used to select, guide and monitor tailored anti-inflammatory therapies.
Also, nanomaterials can be engineered for targeted delivery to specific cell populations implicated in cardiovascular conditions and radiolabelled nanoplatforms have been developed for PET & SPECT imaging allowing image guided therapy. The unique properties of nanoparticles enable an effective vascular targeting of biomarkers accessible on the endothelium and the potential of drug targeted delivery.
Thus, newer targets, emerging radiotracers, hybrid probes, monitoring of pathophysiological pathways and improved diagnostics of cardiovascular diseases form the fulcrum of this Research Topic
We welcome the submission of manuscripts focused on, but not limited to, the following topics:
• PET & SPECT Instrumentation and methodology to explore the cardiovascular system
• Nuclear imaging of Atherosclerosis & cardiovascular inflammatory processes
• Preclinical and clinical nuclear probes development
• Infiltrative cardiac conditions,
• Brain–heart axis
• Radiolabelled nanomedicines for cardiovascular applications
Current medical imaging modalities in the cardiovascular field are mostly restricted to anatomical and functional explorations. For instance, myocardial perfusion imaging using nuclear medicine modalities is a well established functional technique for ischemic heart disease diagnosis and patient decision management. Such imaging approaches are unable to reveal the cellular and molecular events that occur in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases resulting in a potentially less accurate and timely diagnosis and treatment The shift from a functional assessment to a molecular characterization of cardiovascular diseases is ongoing and nuclear imaging modalities represent a precious tool thanks to the possibility to non-invasively image a target in vivo using radiotracers. As an increasing number of targets able to decipher pathophysiological mechanisms of cardiovascular diseases have been recently identified, basic and clinical nuclear molecular imaging may have the potential to enter in the era of individual precision medicine.
Molecular imaging enables the in vivo visualization and quantification of targets of interest with positron emission tomography (PET) being the already established modality in the clinic. However, the use of PET in cardiovascular diseases is still limited and effort is needed to transfer nuclear and hybrid molecular imaging approaches from basic research to clinical applications.
One of the major challenges in the context of cardiovascular diseases including atherosclerosis is the detection of inflammatory processes occurring in the diseased tissue micro-environment and identify their association with clinical outcomes. The impact of chronic inflammatory diseases such as atherosclerosis is known to be major in terms of global morbidity and mortality. There are still gaps to fill in order to better understand the underlying processes by which the immune and inflammatory responses are activated and sustained. Therefore, new insights obtained in situ at the cellular and molecular levels are of utmost importance. Ultimately, nuclear molecular imaging of cardiovascular inflammation may then be used to select, guide and monitor tailored anti-inflammatory therapies.
Also, nanomaterials can be engineered for targeted delivery to specific cell populations implicated in cardiovascular conditions and radiolabelled nanoplatforms have been developed for PET & SPECT imaging allowing image guided therapy. The unique properties of nanoparticles enable an effective vascular targeting of biomarkers accessible on the endothelium and the potential of drug targeted delivery.
Thus, newer targets, emerging radiotracers, hybrid probes, monitoring of pathophysiological pathways and improved diagnostics of cardiovascular diseases form the fulcrum of this Research Topic
We welcome the submission of manuscripts focused on, but not limited to, the following topics:
• PET & SPECT Instrumentation and methodology to explore the cardiovascular system
• Nuclear imaging of Atherosclerosis & cardiovascular inflammatory processes
• Preclinical and clinical nuclear probes development
• Infiltrative cardiac conditions,
• Brain–heart axis
• Radiolabelled nanomedicines for cardiovascular applications
