Siemens solutions in molecular medicine combine in vivo imaging, in vitro laboratory diagnostics, and information technology to provide an integrated solution. Radioactively tagged imaging biomarkers, such as antibodies, for example, signify a change in the state of a protein, which directly correlates with the progression or risk of a disease or infection. They can also monitor the response of the disease to a given treatment. One example that illustrates this is radioactively marked glucose, referred to as fluorodeoxyglucose or ¹⁸F-FDG. This imaging biomarker accumulates in cells which are utilizing a lot of energy. These cells are often already tumor cells or cells that could develop into a malignancy. With the help of imaging systems, the radiologist sees the marker as a glowing spot on the clinical image.

To locate these potentially diseased cells, Siemens relies on combining different imaging procedures. For instance, innovative PET•CT (positron emission tomography-computed tomography) systems provide a detailed anatomical image of tissues using CT, while simultaneously highlighting metabolic processes in the body with PET imaging. This gives physicians a great deal of information about a tumor’s specific location and its traits and metabolic activity with a single study. Siemens also manufactures the cyclotron systems that produce the radioisotopes used in making the imaging biomarkers.

In vitro diagnostic procedures in the lab complement in vivo imaging procedures. Biomarkers are important assistants in the laboratory. They measure disease progression and the efficacy of treatment. One example is the biomarker test using Siemens Medical Solutions Diagnostics' serum HER-2/neu for monitoring metastatic breast cancer. Professor Jean-Pierre Lotz, MD, Chief Medical Oncologist at Université Pierre et Marie Curie’s Hôpital Tenon in Paris, France, said that he began studying the serum test five years ago, at the directive of the French Ministry of Health. “My first experiences with measuring serum HER-2/neu for metastatic breast cancer showed that after patients were given chemotherapy, if the treatment was working, serum levels would rapidly decrease in the first three to four weeks after treatment,” says Lotz. “We confirmed our serum readings with a CT scan.”