In an effort to identify and track disease-related events within the body's cells, Siemens Medical Solutions announced at the recent Radiological Society of North America meeting its vision for molecular medicine that should produce a major impact on the detection of Alzheimer's disease and prove beneficial in the evaluation the effectiveness of stem cell therapy.

Imaging that focuses on the molecular level is designed to enable neurologists to watch the migration of stem cells to damaged brain tissue and monitor the cells' behavior for a prolonged time.  The technology under development will combine the advantages of magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography to allow simultaneous measurement of anatomy, function and biochemistry of the body's tissues and cells.  Siemens believes that MR-PET will enable researchers to determine whether or not stem cells remain alive and discern how they are integrated into the body's neurologic network. 

Siemens unveiled its vision of healthcare's future in molecular medicine at RSNA 2005.  Visitors to the Siemens booth learned about the potential role of molecular medicine in oncology, cardiology and neurology.