Features of molecular imaging techniques used in reporter gene imaging
| Imaging Technique | Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|---|
| Bioluminescence optical imaging | Very high sensitivity | Very low spatial resolution |
| High throughput | Only planar imaging, not tomographic | |
| Very versatile | Surface-weighted images owing to light scatter and absorption | |
| Cheap | Semiquantitative imaging data | |
| Mass amount of probe required (? toxic) | ||
| Not an established clinical technique | ||
| MR imaging | Very high spatial resolution | Low sensitivity |
| Tomographic imaging | Mass amount of probe required (? toxic) | |
| Widely available established clinical technique | ||
| PET, SPECT | High sensitivity | Low spatial resolution |
| Fully quantitative imaging data | Probes for using HSV1-tk gene do not cross the blood-brain barrier | |
| Tomographic imaging | ||
| Nanogram amount of probe required (nontoxic and safe) | D2R gene normally expressed in basal ganglia interferes with image interpretation when using this reporter system | |
| Established clinical techniques |
Note:—? toxic indicates a question concerning potential toxicity.