A new way to track how drugs travel around the body could lead to reductions in the number of animals used in testing.
Scientists from the University of Patras, Greece, have combined different imaging technologies to monitor nanoparticles - minute particles that are used as a way to deliver drugs to their target area.
In the results, published in Molecular Imaging, the team showed in mice that this method allowed them to assess injection routes, and dosage levels using a smaller number of animals.
George Loudos, chief executive of Greek EARA member BIOEMTECH, which devised the hardware, said: “We strongly believe that this approach has the potential for accelerating preclinical studies.
“The combination of imaging techniques to test drugs saves time, resources and also reduces the number of animals needed in the study. ”
The study is part of the CUPIDO project - funded by the EU's Horizon 2020 programme - which aims to develop more efficient and heart-specific therapies for cardiovascular diseases.