The application of molecular imaging to advance translational research in chronic inflammation

Over the past several decades, molecular imaging techniques to assess cellular processes in vivo have been integral in advancing our understanding of disease pathogenesis. 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18-FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) imaging in particular has shaped the field of atherosclerosis research by highlighting the importance of underlying inflammatory processes that are responsible for driving disease progression. The ability to assess physiology using molecular imaging, combining it with anatomic delineation using cardiac coronary angiography (CCTA) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and lab-based techniques, provides a powerful combination to advance both research and ultimately clinical care. In this review, we demonstrate how molecular imaging studies, specifically using 18-FDG PET, have revealed that early vascular disease is a systemic process with multiple, concurrent biological mechanisms using inflammatory diseases as a basis to understand early atherosclerotic mechanisms in humans.