AN OVERVIEW OF CONSIDERATIONS AND APPROACHES FOR DEVELOPING IN-VIVO EPR FOR CLINICAL-APPLICATIONS

This paper describes the rationale for carrying out EPR studies in hum an subjects in the clinical setting and the potential approaches and s pecific steps needed to make such studies feasible and useful. The sug gested operational approach is to have the initial applications occur in as clinically useful and simple a manner as possible, with the expe ctation that once the technique is introduced and accepted in the clin ical setting, that more complex and/or more technically difficult appl ications will be able to be developed. The initial approach should be based on EPR spectroscopy at 1.2 GHz focusing on clinical applications for which in vivo EPR provides a clearly useful approach to important clinical problems for which currently there is no good alternative ap proach, that can be carried out by measurements within 10 mm of the su rface. The suggested initial clinical applications are: guiding tumor therapy for tumors and vascular disease by direct measurements of tiss ue pO(2), characterizing and monitoring implanted drug delivery system s, and monitoring critical care.