ABSTRACT
Translational research is shaping the landscape of the medical field, by integrating basic scientific findings into clinical routine in a timely and effective manner. The field of nuclear medicine has always been populated and supported by researchers of various backgrounds, bundling their respective expertise and thus making nuclear medicine a robust and innovative medical speciality that is able to provide precision medical tools for many patients. However, before these diagnostic or therapeutic agents can find their application in the clinical domain, translational scientists need to perform a long and strenuous cascade of chemical and radiochemical optimizations as well as extensive in vitro and in vivo testing to ensure both targeting efficiency and therapeutic efficacy, and to characterize potential adverse effects. This chapter will provide the reader with an overview of this journey, hopefully motivating members of the nuclear medicine community to join in.
