Glossary
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Term or abbreviation
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Definition
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annexin
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family of calcium and phospholipid-binding proteins
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apoptosis
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a form of cell death, sometimes known as programmed cell death to distinguish it from necrosis or traumatic cell death
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combinatorial chemistry
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branch of chemistry for producing all possible combinations of molecules from a starting set of compounds; creates molecular 'libraries' that can be screened for potential drug candidates
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Compton scattering
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effect that results in a change in the energy and wavelength of a X-ray or gamma ray photon when it interacts with matter
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fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)
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glucose analogue most commonly used in PET imaging, usually tagged with a radioactive fluorine-18 atom
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fluoroethyltyrosine (FET)
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Amino acid analogue used in PET imaging, especially for detection of tumour cells
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germanium detector
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A device that uses a highly purified germanium crystal to detect photons
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glycolytic activity or glycolysis
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A metabolic process by which a cell breaks down glucose to release energy
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half-life
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the time it takes for half of the atoms in a sample of a radioactive element to decay
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ligand
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A small biomolecule, e.g. a hormone, that can bind to a larger receptor molecule such as a protein, usually to generate a signal in the cell
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MRI
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magnetic resonance imaging
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pixel array
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A grid of elements (pixels) where each element is effectively a detector device.
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radiotracer
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A radioactive molecule useful for imaging and tracing the location of a target, usually within the body
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radiopharmaceutical
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Either a radiotracer or a radioactive drug used for therapy
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technetium-99
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A radioactive isotope of the element technetium; commonly used as a radiotracer
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