A Mini-Cyclotron Facility to Support Cancer Research at the BIDMC/HMS

描述(由申请人提供)：贝丝以色列女执事医疗中心(BIDMC)是哈佛医学院(HMS)的一家拥有566张床位的教学医院，拥有114多名首席研究员(PI)，从事NIH资助的临床前和临床癌症研究。2006年，BIDMC获得了一笔高端仪器赠款(S10-RR-023010；PI：Frangion，JV)，用于购买MicroPET/CT仪器。BIDMC随后投资160万美元建造了一个新的最先进的基础设施，名为朗伍德小动物成像设施(www.Longwood saif.org)。朗伍德赛义夫现在很兴旺，为BIDMC和整个HMS的PI提供动物图像。 虽然正电子发射断层扫描(PET)与其他用于癌症检测的核医学检查相比具有更高的灵敏度和分辨率，但MicroPET成像的基本限制，更重要的是临床PET成像的基本限制是缺乏各种F-18和C-11标记的放射性示踪剂。即使在波士顿，每天可用的PET放射性示踪剂也只有18FDG和Na18F，分别用于新陈代谢成像和骨骼成像。由于经济、知识产权和后勤问题的复杂网络，其他有用的放射性示踪剂的商业可获得性受到严重限制，预计在未来5至10年内不会有显著改善。我们的研究人员现在迫切需要各种PET放射性示踪剂，用于他们的临床前和临床癌症研究。 幸运的是，PET放射性同位素生产的一个新趋势是利用交钥匙的“微型回旋加速器”，与集成的微流体化学系统相结合，生产“按需”放射性示踪剂。这样的“生物标记物发生器”可以安装在一个很小的房间里，并且操作成本最低。虽然功率不足以生产商业规模的放射性示踪剂，但这种8 MeV微型回旋加速器可以产生足够的放射性示踪剂，以满足整个BIDMC临床前和临床癌症研究社区的需求。 BIDMC继续其在分子成像方面的非凡机构承诺，已同意对现有部门进行重大搬迁，并将支付周转空间翻新费用，以提供1,400平方英尺的空置空间用于建设迷你回旋加速器设施，该设施完全符合USP-797和辐射法规指南。这个小型回旋加速器位于朗伍德赛义夫酒店旁边，仅比核医学部低一层，能够生产用于临床前和临床癌症研究的PET放射性示踪剂，同时需要最低的运营成本。一位获得LEED认证的建筑师为其他学术团体设计了更大的传统回旋加速器设施，他设计了我们的设施。在影像中心建设方面经验最丰富的BIDMC设施人员，以及之前曾负责Frangion博士目前的实验室和Longwood Saif的建设的人，正在管理该项目。 总而言之，我们建议的设施利用了先前的NCRR资金，创造了临时和永久性的新工作机会，并将对BIDMC的癌症研究产生持续而强大的影响。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) is a 566-bed teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School (HMS) with over 114 principal investigators (PIs) engaged in NIH-funded pre-clinical and clinical cancer research. In 2006, the BIDMC was awarded a high-end instrumentation grant (S10-RR-023010; PI: Frangioni, JV) to purchase microPET/CT instrumentation. The BIDMC then invested $1.6M to build a new state-of-the-art infrastructure named the Longwood Small Animal Imaging Facility (www.longwoodsaif.org). The Longwood SAIF is now thriving, and provides animal imaging to PIs at the BIDMC and throughout HMS. Although positron emission tomography (PET) has superior sensitivity and resolution compared to other nuclear medicine tests used for cancer detection, the fundamental limitation of microPET imaging, and more importantly, of clinical PET imaging, is the lack of availability of various F-18 and C-11 labeled radiotracers. Even in Boston, the only PET radiotracers available on a daily basis are 18FDG and Na18F, used for metabolic imaging and bone imaging, respectively. Due to a complex web of economic, intellectual property, and logistical issues, commercial availability of other useful radiotracers is severely limited and is not expected to improve significantly over the next 5 to 10 years. Our investigators are now desperate for various PET radiotracers needed for their pre-clinical and clinical cancer research. Fortunately, a new trend in the production of PET radioisotopes is to utilize a turnkey "mini-cyclotron," in conjunction with an integrated microfluidics chemistry system, to produce "on-demand" radiotracers. Such a "biomarker generator" can be installed in a small room and has minimal operational cost. Although not powerful enough to produce radiotracers on a commercial scale, such 8 MeV mini-cyclotrons can produce enough radiotracer to serve the needs of the entire BIDMC pre-clinical and clinical cancer research communities. Continuing its extraordinary institutional commitment to molecular imaging, the BIDMC has agreed to a major move of existing departments, and will pay for swing space renovation costs, in order to provide 1,400 sq ft of empty space for construction of a mini-cyclotron facility that includes full compliance with USP-797 and radiation regulatory guidelines. Housed next to the Longwood SAIF, and just one level below the division of Nuclear Medicine, this mini-cyclotron facility will be capable of producing PET radiotracers for pre-clinical and clinical cancer research, while requiring minimal operational costs. A LEED-certified architect who has designed much larger, conventional cyclotron facilities for other academic groups has designed our facility. The BIDMC Facilities person most experienced with imaging center construction, and who has previously managed the construction of Dr. Frangioni's present laboratory and the Longwood SAIF, is managing the project. Taken together, the facility we propose leverages prior NCRR funding, creates both temporary and permanent new jobs, and will have a sustained and powerful influence on cancer research at the BIDMC.