The next boom for the molecular imaging field will be in neurology, as the market shifts from being modality-specific to being more disease or organ-specific by 2020, according to a new Frost and Sullivan analysis that takes a look at the clinical molecular imaging industry in the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Spain, France, Scandinavia and Benelux regions.

In addition to this emerging clinical field for positron emission tomography (PET), PET/CT and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), oncology and cardiology will continue to boost revenue for the European molecular imaging market.

New imaging agents for neurology are widening the application base, said Frost & Sullivan research analyst Kaavya Karunanithi, in a statement. Novel imaging agents are also expanding the fields of oncology and cardiology, as well as infectious and inflammatory disease, according to Karunanithi.
The research, which is part of Frost & Sullivan's program for Advanced Medical Technologies Growth Partnership Service for European Molecular Imaging Markets, found that European molecular imaging markets earned revenues of $276 million in 2011 but could reach roughly $388 million in 2018. Italy, Scandinavia and Benelux will see the most immediate growth, with France and Spain close behind. Germany and the UK are slow-growing markets, said the report.

Technological innovations in molecular imaging, such as PET/MR scanners, will also contribute to the growth in the molecular imaging sector, according to the report.

"In the long run, optical modalities and tri-modality systems, with the ability to cater to a wider clinical application portfolio, will dominate," said Karunanithi in the statement. "Such technically advanced offerings boost market prospects, even while addressing the demand for personalized medicine."

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