The following are key points to remember from a review on in vivo cardiovascular molecular imaging and its contributions to precision medicine and drug development:

1. Molecular imaging can phenotype tissues beyond conventional imaging approaches and enable specific definition of pathologic processes.
2. Molecular imaging can be applied in basic science to uncover pathology, phenotype animal models, connect molecular function to morphology, and connect imaging to gene transcription.
3. Molecular imaging can be applied in preclinical and clinical investigation to rapidly characterize on and off target effects of drugs, optimize dose, track cell and gene therapies, and prove mechanisms of therapies.
4. Molecular imaging can be used in clinical medicine to enable early diagnosis, select optimal therapies, monitor response to therapy, and assess prognosis.
5. Molecular imaging approaches require selection of biologic targets, design of effective probes, and selection of sensitive and accurate detectors. These must be done with consideration of translation and availability.
6. Myocarditis can be assessed today in clinical practice with quantitative cardiac magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography. Emerging methods will allow imaging of specific inflammatory cells and molecules.
7. Emerging molecular imaging methods may enable imaging of early atherosclerosis by identifying endothelial injury markers long before morphologic changes.
8. Imaging of matrix metalloproteinases and inflammatory markers can prognosticate ventricular remodeling and survival after myocardial infarctions.

Clinical Topics: Noninvasive Imaging

Keywords: Diagnostic Imaging, Precision Medicine, Molecular Imaging

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