The
explosive epidemics of diabetes and
obesity as well as an
aging population have led to
cardiovascular diseases as the leading cause of world-wide
morbidity and
mortality beyond
cancer. The recent introduction of
drug-eluting stents and medications such as
statins,
dual anti-platelet therapy, and
angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors has dramatically improved clinical outcomes in
patients with
cardiovascular diseases. However,
mortality is still increasing despite
state-of-the-
art therapeutics, as current diagnostic and
therapeutic strategies against
cardiovascular disease center on "locking the barn door after the
horse has been stolen". Novel diagnostic
solutions that identify individuals at
risk before the
disease is overt are
needs. Imaging approaches that visualize molecular targets rather than anatomical structures aim to illuminate vital molecular and cellular aspects of
atherosclerosis biology in vivo. Recent technological advances in small
animal imaging systems and dedicated targeted/activatable
molecular imaging probes have positioned
molecular imaging to greatly impact
atherosclerosis imaging in the next decade. However, several issues must be addressed before its clinical translation.