Autoradiography Core Facility (ARG)

The autoradiography facility (ARG) is a core facility for radioligand binding and autoradiography, critical components in pharmacology and cellular signaling research, as well as for development of ligands for usage in positron emission tomography (PET).

Autoradiography is a method to visualize and quantify the binding of radioactive molecules in tissue sections and is commonly used for mapping of G protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) and transporters in brain from pathologic conditions and in animal models. The method is extensively applied as a tool for validation of novel radioligands for PET since it provides high resolution image correlates that may aid the interpretation of data obtained in PET studies. Moreover, an initial characterization of tracer affinity, selectivity, and specific binding using autoradiographic methods in vitro may predict suitability of the tracer application in vivo.