Imaging agents are chemicals designed to allow clinicians to determine whether a mass is benign or malignant

Malignant

Malignancy is the tendency of a medical condition, especially tumors, to become progressively worse and to potentially result in death. Malignancy in cancers is characterized by anaplasia, invasiveness, and metastasis...

 and locate metastatic

Metastasis

Metastasis, or metastatic disease , is the spread of a disease from one organ or part to another non-adjacent organ or part. It was previously thought that only malignant tumor cells and infections have the capacity to metastasize; however, this is being reconsidered due to new research...

 cancer

Cancer

Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...

 sites in the body.

The development of an imaging agent involves synthesizing the agent to target a particular tumor or process, after which the imaging instruments can be adjusted to neutralize the target. Such agents are first examined via preclinical animal studies before engaging in early-phase human clinical studies.

See also

• Nanoparticle
  Nanoparticle
  In nanotechnology, a particle is defined as a small object that behaves as a whole unit in terms of its transport and properties. Particles are further classified according to size : in terms of diameter, coarse particles cover a range between 10,000 and 2,500 nanometers. Fine particles are sized...
  
  
• EMMI
  Emmi
  Emmi is a Finnish singer-songwriter who sings in English. She was born on October 10, 1979 in Vilppula, Finland. She became famous thanks to her single Breakable, which was released in February 2001. In May 2001 her second single Crashing Down and her debut album Solitary Motions were released...
  
  European Master in Molecular Imaging