Imaging & Tracing

High-end infrastructure for advanced translational molecular imaging to support drug development

The EATRIS Imaging and Tracing Platform provides a single point of entry to high-end expertise and cutting edge translational imaging facilities, defragmenting the scattered nature of technical know-how and making optimal use of resources to improve R&D output.

With over 35 institutions, the Imaging and Tracing platform covers the entire scope of tracer development and molecular imaging and offers multi-centre clinical trials capabilities with validated imaging-based biomarkers.

Disease-specific tracers, contrast agents and radiolabeled drugs (manufactured to GMP guidelines in certified labs) can be tested pre-clinically and clinically in combination with a full range of high-end multi-modal imaging techniques (PET/MRI, PET/CT, SPECT, ultra-high field MRI, MRS, ultrasound or optical) and advanced image analysis.

Benefits of Imaging for Drug Development:

  • Visualisation and quantification of disease targets and therapy responses help to understand disease mechanisms and enhance the prediction of therapeutic efficacy of new drug compounds.
  • Dose finding studies can be completed faster and with fewer volunteers in phase I, allowing early elimination of dead-end compounds and reducing development times.
  • Projects are derisked at a much earlier stage with decision making in drug development supported by dedicated imaging data analysis centres, allowing quantitative PK/PD modelling, confirmation of the current status of promising drug targets and drugs.

Infrastructure and expertise:

  • High-end radionuclide production and imaging facilities
  • Access to over 75 tracers for preclinical and clinical PET imaging
  • GMP-compliant production and clinical development of novel tracers
  • Ultra-high field clinical imaging for visualisation and quantification of tissues, drugs and therapy responses with various imaging modalities (PET/
  • MRI, PET/CT, US and optical)
  • Key opinion leaders in nuclear medicine, radiology, medical physics, radiopharmaceutical chemistry, in vivo pharmacology and kinetic modelling
  • Radionuclide and tracer production facilities offering the full range of clinical grade isotopes
  • Dedicated hot cells and automated manufacturing processes for GMP compliant radiolabeling of biologicals and small molecular drugs for human application
  • GMP compliant manufacture of optical imaging probes
  • Proof of concept studies in animal models using multimodal and ultra high field imaging techniques
  • Development of novel tracers for in vivo imaging of disease specific markers in drug and diagnostics development
  • Visualisation and quantification of tissues, diseases, drugs and therapy responses using an array of imaging technologies
  • Image acquisition, analysis and integration as well as image interpretation with tracers or imaging based biomarkers in various patient cohorts
  • Support of your clinical trial design and execution in our clinical imaging centres which have years of experience in phase I-III trials
  • Ultra-high field MRI to develop imaging biomarkers for high precision medicine

Contact

Albert D. Windhorst
Chair of EATRIS Imaging & Tracing platform