ISBN-13: 9783639115178 / Angielski / Miękka / 2009 / 216 str.
Non-invasive imaging of transgene expression shouldsoon play a critical role in gene and adoptivecellular gene therapy clinical trials. Positronemission tomography (PET) reporter genes (PRG)/probes(PRP) are currently the most advanced technologiesavailable for imaging transgens in humans. PRGs canbe used to image the location, magnitude, and timevariation of the intensity of transgene expressionthroughout the whole body of a patient. This caneliminate the need for multiple biopsies, which arepotentially dangerous and yet do not provide acomplete picture of whole body transgene expressionat multiple time points. This dissertation providesdetails of several studies on direct and indirectimaging of therapeutic transgenes using multiplePRG/PRP systems in mice. Furthermore, it includes thedetails of the first study on the pharmacokinetics,dosimetry, and safety of an imaging reporter probe inhumans. Finally, a complete background on alternatemethods of imaging transgene expression has beenprovided, concluding with a discussion of potentialfuture applications of imaging in gene therapy.