Development of 7-T MR-compatible TOF-DOI PET Detector and System Technology for the Human Dynamic Neurochemical Connectome Scanner

项目摘要 我们寻求支持，为下一代开发和建造正电子发射断层扫描(PET)探测器模块 第7代-特斯拉磁共振(MR)兼容PET脑扫描仪，性能显著改进 时空分辨率。PET和MRI是目前使用的最强大的两种成像手段 研究人脑。最近，能够同时进行正电子发射计算机断层扫描和磁共振全身扫描的扫描仪 在人类受试者身上进行的获取已经成为商业上可用的。然而，没有类似的专门的 市场上的头部设备，以满足研究人员和临床医生的需求，专注于大脑和 出于这个目的，全身设备的性能相当有限。更重要的是，尽管目前 技术通过一系列针对神经化学靶点的探针实现高分子灵敏度 仍然缺乏在可与功能流程相媲美的时间尺度上跟踪动态变化的能力。我们的 长期目标是建造一种具有非常高灵敏度的与MR兼容的PET摄像机，以实现真正的动态PET 脑神经传输的成像。首批与MR兼容的Brain PET原型之一安装在 马蒂诺斯中心在2008年，当时人类的PET/MR成像还处于初级阶段。在与以下公司密切合作后 西门子为解决剩余的技术挑战，原理证明PET/MR研究证明 这一新的成像方式的优势和潜力被发挥出来。近十年后，一种新型的 光子探测器技术已经达到了成熟的水平，可以让我们建造下一代 具有显著提高的时空分辨率的集成系统。作为实现这一目标的第一步 目标，我们建议设计、构建和评估一个高性能的PET探测器模块，并开始解决 系统级集成面临的挑战。具体地说，我们将：(1)制定互动深度和时间 可飞行的闪烁体阵列使用实用方法；(2)设计、建造和评估可扩展的7-T磁共振- 基于兼容硅光电倍增管的PET探测器模块；以及(3)研究和解决该系统- 针对非标准PET扫描仪几何形状的级别硬件挑战。 好了！

Project Summary We seek support to develop and build the positron emission tomography (PET) detector module for the next generation 7-Tesla magnetic resonance (MR)-compatible PET brain scanner with dramatically improved spatio-temporal resolution. PET and MRI are two of the most powerful imaging modalities currently in use for studying the human brain. Recently, scanners capable of simultaneous PET and MR whole-body data acquisition in human subjects have become commercially available. However, there is no equivalent dedicated head device on the market to address the needs of the researchers and clinicians focusing on the brain and the performance of whole-body devices is rather limited for this purpose. More importantly, although current PET technology achieves high molecular sensitivity with a broad set of probes for neurochemical targets, PET still lacks the capability to track dynamic changes in a time scale comparable to functional processes. Our long-term goal is to build an MR-compatible PET camera with very high sensitivity to enable truly dynamic PET imaging of brain neurotransmission. One of the first MR-compatible brain PET prototypes was installed at the Martinos Center in 2008 when human PET/MR imaging was in its infancy. Following a close collaboration with Siemens to address the remaining technical challenges, proof-of-principle PET/MR studies demonstrating the advantages and potential of this novel imaging modality were performed. Almost a decade later, a new type of photon detector technology has reached a level of maturity that would allow us to build the next generation integrated system with dramatically improved spatiotemporal resolution. As first steps towards achieving this goal, we propose to design, build and evaluate a high performance PET detector module and begin to address the system-level integration challenges. Specifically, we will: (1) develop a depth-of-interaction and time-of- flight capable scintillator array using a practical approach; (2) design, build and evaluate a scalable 7-T MR- compatible silicon photomultiplier based PET detector module; and (3) investigate and address the system- level hardware challenges for a non-standard PET scanner geometry. !