Introduction to Molecular Imaging, Diagnostics, and Therapy

Nanotechnology has given a plethora of nanoparticles (NPs) during the last decades, which have been extensively used in molecular imaging, diagnostics and therapy. Despite recent progress in this area, there are only a few nanoformulations that have entered into clinical trials. We must identify new nanoimaging probes and their targets for therapy, develop new nanoagents for diagnostics, and position them in a clinically useful and cost-effective manner. This chapter summarizes the current status of NPs used as molecular imaging probes, their use in the diagnosis of disease-related analytes, and also their effective use in therapy.