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In the Spotlight: Biomedical ImagingAndrew F. Laine, Senior Member, IEEEI. INTRODUCTIONThis year we have seen efforts geared towards developing imaging and therapeutic techniques for minimal invasiveness and improved image quality and novel software tools for image processing, analysis and storage. All of which designed to facilitate the work ?ow of the radiologist, better model biological systems at the cellular level, and understand complex metabolic and functional processes. Researchers in the ?eld of biomedical imaging continue to strive to accommodate the often con?icting needs of patients, clinicians and health care costs. In addition, we have seen in emergent imaging technology a continued shift from 2-D towards 3-D plus time (4-D) modalities which require higher dimensional processing and visualization demands. While in future spotlight articles we will focus on more immediate advances in imaging technology, it seems appropriate that this ?rst spotlight give a more general overview of tends over a slightly broader period of time.II. ADVANCES IN BIOLOGICAL IMAGINGDuring the last decade systems biology has matured into adistinct ?eld and imaging has been increasingly used to enablethe interplay of experimental and theoretical biology. Systemsbiology attempts to model the dynamics and structure ofcomplete biological systems. Imaging is increasingly used tomeasure physical parameters such as concentration, tissue properties, and surface area and to glean temporal insight on biological function. Molecular probes can also be employed to allowfor both therapeutic and diagnostic applications. As the spatial resolution and acquisition frequency of imaging techniquesincrease, using imaging to monitor substrate and protein dynamics in real time may be more readily achieved. Such data acquired by imaging can provide the basis for mathematical modeling of protein kinetics and biochemical signaling networks. Imaging can also be a suitable means to test computationalmodel