Chapter 9: In Vivo Imaging of the Pancreas and Gut Hormone Receptors

Biomedical imaging techniques like positron emission tomography (PET) have been implemented into the clinical diagnostic routine in many areas, such as oncology, neurology, and cardiology. However, their use in the clinical management of diabetes is not as advanced. Recent decades have seen progress in novel techniques for clinical molecular imaging of receptors and cell subtypes, including those crucial for pancreatic function in both health and disease. Advances include studying, e.g., the insulin-producing beta cells and the most common incretin and gut hormone receptors. Techniques for efficient functionalisation and radiolabelling of peptides and proteins have enabled PET imaging using the growing number of biological drugs or modified endogenous hormones. Importantly, the novel techniques are in or under clinical translation and approval, suggesting that they may become part of the routine assessment in diabetes diagnosis and management in the coming years. This chapter summarises recent developments and advances in the application of PET techniques for visualising processes in the pancreas that are crucial in diabetes pathology and treatment.