This category deals with new developments in the field of infection imaging, covering the development of pathogen-specific molecular imaging agents in preclinical, translational, and clinical settings. This category also includes molecular imaging of the host response to specific infectious etiologies, the use of molecular imaging agents to assess antimicrobial drug pharmacokinetics, as well as the development and implementation of novel infection imaging agents/technologies and their translation to clinical practice.
Probe & Targets
The design, chemical synthesis and characterization of imaging probes and theranostic agents as well as reporter genes used to directly label different pathogens (bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites) or indirectly label infected tissues will be addressed. All imaging modalities will be covered.
Preclinical Imaging
All applications where new imaging tools, probes and therapeutics are evaluated on animal models of infection belong to this category, including pathogen-specific and/or infectious disease-specific approaches. It also includes studies using imaging agents to assess antimicrobial drug pharmacokinetics and preclinical testing of image-guided infectious therapies.
New Biology
In this category, research on different pathogens and/or infectious diseases will be presented that mainly addresses new biological mechanisms and where imaging is rather a tool to gain the mechanistic insights into those infections. New approaches in bioengineering and new disease models will also be considered.
Translational and Human Studies
Research on infectious diseases (pathogen-specific or disease-specific) in humans or (non-human) studies with demonstrated potential for clinical impact or immediate translation should be submitted to this category. It includes prospective and retrospective studies as well as studies on new pharmaceuticals at phase I-IV where imaging plays a significant role in the study.