350 px<unk>  is a field of medical imaging that focuses on imaging molecules of medical interest within living patients. This is in contrast to conventional methods for obtaining<unk>  information from preserved tissue samples, such as histology. Molecules of interest may be either ones produced naturally by the body, or synthetic molecules produced in a laboratory and injected into a patient by a doctor. The most common example of<unk>  used clinically today is to inject a contrast agent (e.g., a microbubble, metal ion, or radioactive isotope) into a patient's bloodstream and to use an imaging modality (e.g., ultrasound, MRI, CT, PET) to track its movement in the body.<unk>  originated from the field of radiology from a need to better understand fundamental<unk>  processes inside organisms in a noninvasive manner. The ultimate goal of<unk>  is to be able to noninvasively monitor all of the biochemical processes occurring inside an organism in real time. Current research in<unk>  involves cellular/molecular biology, chemistry, and medical physics, and is focused on: 1) developing imaging methods to detect previously undetectable types of molecules, 2) expanding the number and types of contrast agents available, and 3) developing functional contrast agents that provide information about the various activities that cells and tissues perform in both health and disease.
Molecular imaging
Imaging biomarker
Radiomics
PET radiotracer
Magnetic particle imaging
Magnetic Resonance in Medicine
Nuclear medicine
Narcology