Role of magnetic resonance imaging and in vivo MR spectroscopy in clinical, experimental and biological research

Abstract

Magnetic resonance imaging, a noninvasive imaging modality in clinical medicine produces soft tissue anatomical pictures in any desired plane that are exquisite representation of the spatial distribution of mobile protons present in human/animal tissues. In vivo magnetic resonance spectroscopy, on the other hand, is a useful technique for studying metabolic processes in biological systems. In the last decade, magnetic resonance imaging and in vivo spectroscopy methods have become an established tool in many areas of biomedical research for example, in understanding the physiology of several disease processes, tumor metabolism, and drug discovery process. In fact, in vivo magnetic resonance spectroscopy can be used for diagnosis of a specific disease pattern with biochemical/metabolic signature (marker), assessment of tumor response to different treatment regimens, drug concentrations in tissues, drug efficacy and metabolism. The advantage of in vivo magnetic resonance is its versatility and comprehensive characterization of normal and diseased tissues. In this article, a few examples of in vivo magnetic resonance methods and their utility in clinical, experimental and biological research are presented.