The emergence of molecular imaging is another milestone in the history of medical imaging, and the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Health, and the National Natural Science Foundation of China have attached great importance to the research of molecular medicine and molecular imaging. However, molecular imaging is, after all, in its infancy, and multidisciplinary cooperation, especially interdisciplinary communication and cooperation, is highly needed to promote the smooth development of molecular imaging research. Molecular imaging is the science of qualitative and quantitative imaging of biological behavior of specific molecules at the tissue, cellular, and subcellular levels using imaging tools that reflect changes at the molecular level in the living body. Therefore, molecular imaging is the product of combining molecular biology techniques and modern medical imaging, while classical diagnostic imaging (X-ray, CT, MR, ultrasound, etc.) mainly shows the end effect of some molecular alterations with anatomical alterations in diseases; while molecular imaging, through the development of new tools, reagents and methods, probes abnormalities at the cellular and molecular levels in disease processes, detects abnormalities in the absence of anatomical alterations yet Molecular imaging is a bridge between molecular biology and clinical medicine through the development of new tools, reagents and methods to detect abnormalities at the cellular and molecular levels in disease processes, and to detect abnormalities in the absence of anatomical changes. The completion of the Human Genome Project is known to offer the possibility of individualized risk factor/prevention/medical intervention in the near future. Along with the emergence of “omics”, such as (functional) genomics/proteomics, pharmacogenomics and other research advances, and the promotion of systems biology, personalized medicine is moving from conceptualization to clinical practice. Molecular imaging, which can provide in vivo/quantitative/real-time/visualized molecular/genetic information, and even multi-molecular interaction information, is non-invasive/minimally invasive and reproducible. This unique and realistic information about the individual is the prerequisite for individualized medicine. Molecular imaging is an important part of diagnostic histology, which is not only an important technical tool with many advantages in basic research, but also will be an important bridge for the translation of basic research results to clinical applications, playing a linking role in this medical revolution and future medical practice. In addition, with the progress of multifunctional nanomaterials, molecular imaging will certainly further dilute the boundary between diagnosis and treatment. Advances in molecular imaging are complementary to targeting therapeutics; molecular imaging can address many key issues facing targeted therapies, such as real-time evaluation of therapeutic effects at the molecular level. Molecular imaging also has tremendous advantages in the drug development process. Molecular imaging will certainly become another milestone in preventing diseases and optimizing clinical medical intervention decisions, playing a leading role in the individualized medicine model. Molecular imaging imaging principles Molecular imaging incorporates molecular biochemistry, data processing, nanotechnology, image processing and other technologies, and will henceforth be able to truly provide qualitative, localized and quantitative information for clinical diagnosis because of its high specificity, sensitivity and high resolution of images. It is thus clear that molecular imaging is no longer a single technological change, but an integration of various technologies. There are three key elements of molecular imaging technology, the first is a highly specific molecular probe, the second is a suitable signal amplification technology, and the third is a detection system that can sensitively obtain high-resolution images. It integrates genetic information, biochemistry and new imaging probes into the human body, using it to label the “target” (another molecule) under study, amplifying the “target” through molecular imaging technology, and detecting it by sophisticated imaging technology, and then by a series of image post-processing techniques. A series of image post-processing techniques are used to show the biological processes at the molecular and cellular levels in living tissues for the subclinical diagnosis and treatment of diseases. Difficulties in molecular imaging However, there are still many pressing problems to be solved in the establishment of molecular imaging technology platform. For example, the poor sensitivity of MR molecular imaging; the low spatial resolution of nuclear medicine techniques; the high background noise and low tissue penetration of optical imaging; probe immunogenicity and in vivo transport; and data integration and post-processing of various imaging tools. Molecular imaging originated from molecular/cellular biology and imaging technology and chemistry, and the main basis of its development is not the development of imaging equipment hardware, but the progress of molecular biology and the development of probes. As an emerging discipline, molecular imaging is characterized by multidisciplinary intersection and integration. Taking life science problems as the core, actively drawing on the development of “basic power disciplines”, multi-disciplinary and multi-angle cross-collaboration, focusing on technical integration and equipment innovation, is the key to the development of molecular imaging. Without a reasonable team, it is almost inconceivable for clinical imaging workers to carry out fruitful research in the core of molecular imaging research. Molecular imaging requires interdisciplinary cooperation Also because various imaging techniques have their advantages and disadvantages, there are a variety of difficulties, therefore, often requires interdisciplinary, multi-faceted crossover and cooperation, which requires both the life sciences from the molecular level to raise urgent problems, but also the development of physical, chemical, biological digital, informatics and other disciplines to adapt to the theory and technology of molecular imaging research, and applied to the field. At the same time, it needs to be combined with contemporary cutting-edge nanoscience technologies. However, the lack of multidisciplinary cooperation has become a bottleneck that hinders the development of molecular imaging, especially the lack of communication and cooperation with related disciplines such as biology, chemistry, physics, engineering, and computing. For example, the design and preparation of molecular probes as well as the characterization and analysis require close cooperation with relevant experts in bioengineering and biochemistry. Therefore, interdisciplinary experts first sit down together to find targets of common interest. Cultivation of talents in molecular imaging To grasp the development trend and characteristics of modern medical imaging and promote the development of medical imaging in China, talent cultivation is the key. Setting up a reasonable medical imaging discipline system and cultivating new medical imaging talents according to the needs of discipline development is the most urgent task. Vigorously promote the molecular imaging research program in various fields, which is not only a superior research platform but also an important way to translate from basic research to clinical practice. Radiologists in particular are unfamiliar with this emerging cross-discipline and their knowledge structure needs to be updated. Higher education is a hereditary territory for training talents, but current medical imaging textbooks barely cover molecular imaging. Compile matching textbooks to include basic principles, research methods, development trends and advances in molecular imaging as part of basic training. Among radiologists, we should pay attention to the education of “basic power disciplines” of medical imaging development, such as molecular biology, medical engineering, synthetic chemistry and information science. Pay attention to the progress of life science, and actively play the role of imaging medicine in it. There is an urgent need to establish national academic institutions for molecular imaging. Take molecular imaging as one of the important contents of continuing education, and carry out training and exchange in related specialties. The exchange and cooperation with clinical disciplines should be carried out in a wider and deeper level. Actively introduce highly qualified talents from relevant specialties to participate in molecular imaging research. Evaluation of molecular imaging A key issue in molecular imaging is how to objectively evaluate the effect of delivery and expression, especially in vivo (animal or human). Current methods for showing gene expression are divided into two main categories: invasive as well as non- or minimally invasive. If specific molecules or (and) genes are to be imaged in vivo, four necessary prerequisites must be met: a high-affinity probe that has a reasonable pharmacokinetic behavior in vivo; these probes can penetrate biological metabolic barriers, such as blood vessels, mesenchymal tissue, cell membranes, etc.; chemical or biological signal amplification methods; and sensitive, rapid, high-resolution imaging techniques. The impact of molecular imaging on imaging medicine So far, the development of imaging medicine has gradually formed 3 main camps: classical medical imaging: mainly X-ray, CT, MR, ultrasound imaging, etc., showing human anatomical structures and physiological functions; interventional radiology as the main therapeutic camp; molecular imaging: mainly MR, PET, optical imaging and small animal imaging equipment, etc., which can be used for imaging at the molecular level . The three are closely linked as a whole, corroborating and collaborating with each other, relying on interventional radiology to enable the target gene to reach the target site more accurately, and molecular imaging equipment to directly display the therapeutic effect and gene expression. Therefore, molecular imaging has a great role in promoting the development of imaging medicine, so that imaging medicine from the traditional study of anatomy and physiological function to the molecular level of imaging, to explore the molecular level of disease changes, will have a profound impact on the formation of a new medical model and human health. In any case, molecular imaging is still in its infancy, and there is still a long way to go. The current work is only the beginning of molecular medicine, and as the research on disease pathogenesis further deepens, more research results of molecular medicine will be applied to the genetic diagnosis and treatment of clinical diseases, and the interdisciplinary cooperation between molecular medicine and clinical will be broadened and strengthened, and the healthy development of molecular imaging will be promoted through the interaction of multiple disciplines. At that time, the medical imaging department will be more open and tend to integrate the development of biochemistry, biophysics, bioengineering and medical imaging and other disciplines.