<scp>PET</scp> and <scp>SPECT</scp> in Drug Development

Positron emission tomography (PET) and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) are noninvasive molecular imaging techniques that can be used to provide functional information in the living human body. They use radiolabeled compounds that bind to specific sites on a biological target, known as radiotracers, enabling us to visualize and characterize specific aspects of a biological process. This chapter describes these techniques and how they can be utilized in the drug development process. Keywords: drug development; imaging; PET; SPECT