Advancing Drug Discovery and Development Using Molecular Imaging (ADDMI): an Interest Group of the World Molecular Imaging Society and an Inaugural Session on Positron Emission Tomography (PET).

Multi-modality molecular imaging techniques have expanded the role of imaging biomarkers in the pharmaceutical industry and are beginning to streamline the drug discovery and development process. The World Molecular Imaging Society (WMIS) serves as a forum for discussing innovative and exploratory multi-modal, interdisciplinary molecular imaging research with a mission of bridging the gap between pathology and in vivo imaging. To formalize the role of the WMIS in pharmaceutical research efforts, members of the society have formed an interest group entitled Advancing Drug Discovery and Development using Molecular Imaging (ADDMI). The ADDMI interest group launched their efforts at the 2016 World Molecular Imaging Congress by hosting a session of invited lectures on translational positron emission tomography (PET) imaging in the central nervous system. This article provides a synopsis of those lectures and frames the role of translational imaging biomarker strategies in the drug discovery and development process.