Dr. Krämer’s scientific interests are related to the areas of kinetics from the molecular scale, PET kinetics, pharmacokinetics and PET itself. The author of 39 scientific papers and three books, she has been employed at ETH since 2000, first as the head of the Biopharmacy Division and since 2009 as the head of the Pharmacology Division.

Positron Emission Tomography (PET) is best known as a non-invasive imaging technology in oncology and neurology. However, there is an unlimited potential beyond imaging, in particular with small animal PET. This presentation will discuss possibilities in basic and preclinical research. Examples of simple imaging will be presented followed by an introduction to PET kinetic modeling and what parameters can be estimated from time activity curves of receptor ligands or substrates of transporters or enzymes. The prerequisites and challenges for accurate parameter determinations will be presented and influencing factors including anesthesia, species, strain and gender differences as well as animal handling will be discussed.