Researchers and the pharmaceutical industry may use preclinical imaging to review the safety and efficacy of drug candidates for respiratory diseases such as pneumonia, lung cancer, asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, write Nicolau Beckmann and Sarah-Rebecca Herrmann. Imaging technology may also reduce, replace and refine animal studies, as well as inform in vivo analysis of the toxicological effects of compounds without the need for dissecting tissues, while "innovation in imaging technology has helped researchers to better understand the underlying causes of many lung disorders," the authors wrote.