Longitudinal multimodal imaging of lung disease and therapy in preclinical models

Non-invasive imaging is increasingly embraced in pulmonary research, because it provides longitudinal information on dynamic disease processes in a field where ex vivo assessment of experimental lung disease models is nevertheless still the gold standard. Histology and microscopy will always remain essential to investigate molecular and cellular interactions, but are limited to one observation per animal. Imaging techniques are therefore indispensable to monitor dynamic processes in vivo and to deliver the necessary context for interpretation of post mortem assessment results. It is therefore our goal to develop and to use novel, complementary imaging techniques to follow-up different lung disease processes, inflammatory response and therapy in a dynamic and non-invasive way in individual animals. We aim to unravel the interplay between these dynamic pathogenic processes, to identify key factors and novel biomarkers and to optimize preclinical research, which will ultimately result in improved clinical translati on and patient care.

Keywords:lung disease, Longitudinal multimodal imaging, therapy, preclinical models

Disciplines:Respiratory medicine, Medical imaging and therapy