Currently, treatment selection is often dependent on obtaining information from lengthy, complicated diagnostic laboratory procedures that can be inconclusive. Developing rapid, simplified procedures to differentiate the exact nature of acute clinical events would increase patient survival, minimize tissue loss, and raise expectations for a higher quality of life. Stimulate development of rapid, minimally invasive diagnostic approaches and technologies to assess underlying pathologies in patients in acute cardio-pulmonary collapse. Research is needed to develop new technologies that can improve identification and localization of ischemic and thrombolytic events within the first 30 minutes of a patient arriving in an emergency medical setting. Develop molecular imaging techniques for diagnosis of cardiovascular, lung, and blood diseases.
Research questions occur more and more frequently at cellular and molecular levels.
Imaging capabilities are needed for providing repeatable, noninvasive assessments of gene and molecular activation and function. New imaging techniques that can deliver information quickly will allow more specific diagnosis, as well as selection and evaluation of therapies. Develop noninvasive imaging technologies that use molecular probes and contrast agents as the tools to link imaging to specific biological questions. For example, a probe can be introduced as a gene that produces a visible protein under specific conditions. Imaging methods need to be designed for evaluation of overall structure and function of a region of the body.