The newly developed imaging method can be used to represent any cell type and be combined with any disease model, as Feil explains. It is therefore suitable for many applications in biomedical research and the investigation of diseases. "Among many other applications, the non-invasive analysis of cardiac disease, diabetes, inflammation, tumor formation and metastasis is conceivable. In addition, the development of transplanted cells could be monitored in regenerative medicine. The technology is also interesting for the pharmaceutical industry for testing new drugs and treatment methods."

The research on PET-based cell tracking is relevant to the "Principles of animal protection and animal experiments at the University of Tübingen". In these principles, the university establishes rules and targets for the responsible handling of animal experiments and encourages research on new methods. Even though the alternatives have been substantially improved, life sciences cannot completely dispense with animal experiments in the foreseeable future. For research on the complex interaction of cells, tissues and organs in the whole organism, as well as new drugs and therapeutic strategies, animal experiments will continue to be necessary. Therefore, it is important to optimize the methods of investigation to reduce the burden and number of test animals. Procedures need to be developed that increase the quantity and quality of the data collected per animal and whose results can easily be transferred to humans.


Source: Eberhard Karls Universität, Tübingen

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