High resolution positron emission tomography (PET) insert systems for multimodality PET/magnetic resonance imaging

正电子发射 断层摄影术（PET）是允许对组织进行非侵入性评估的成像模式 在临床和临床前环境中在分子水平上发挥作用 通过对放射性标记示踪剂的生物分布成像。高 许多PET成像示踪剂的特异性导致图像具有很少的解剖结构， 信息，使得难以将示踪剂摄取分配给特定的 并且使图像的解释和分析复杂化。的 该问题的解决方案是将PET与解剖成像结合 最初是X射线计算机断层扫描（CT），最近是磁 磁共振（MR）成像。PET与MR的集成用于临床前混合 通过使用PET/MR成像仪可以有效地完成小动物的PET/MR成像。 PET插入物，适合现有高场MR系统的孔内， 可以与MR同时运行。在上一个融资周期中，我们的 一个小组成功地开发和部署了这种用于小动物的插入物， PET/MR成像使用新的MR兼容硅光电探测器和多层 在紧凑的环直径中保持空间分辨率的闪烁体阵列 PET系统。用于临床前成像的PET插入系统现在正成为 商业化，包括一个基于我们的设计商业化，通过 一家加拿大公司 在这个应用程序中，我将建立在我们的 专业的PET插入系统的小动物PET/MR，以实现我的长期 创建硬件和软件技术的长期目标， 能够使用PET插入的混合PET/MR成像作为常规成像 临床前小动物研究和人类神经成像的模式 应用程序.为了实现这一目标，我的研究的短期目标 在这个计划中详细介绍了三个主题：i）算法和硬件 推进临床前PET/MR成像; ii）下一代探测器开发 第三代PET插入系统;以及iii）创造技术以促进和 自动化小动物PET/MR成像。 这些研究目标创造了多学科 为电气专业的研究生和本科生提供培训机会 工程、生物医学工程和医学物理。密切合作 与临床前动物成像的成像系统终端用户， 临床成像水平，与工业合作伙伴一起， 成像系统，便于快速测试和部署新技术，集成 用户对修订版的反馈以及新设备技术翻译的路径。

Positron emission tomography (PET) is an imaging modality that allows non-invasive assessment of tissue function at the molecular level in both clinical and preclinical settings through imaging the biodistribution of radioactively labelled tracers. The high specificity of many PET imaging tracers results in images with little anatomical information, making it difficult to assign the tracer uptake to specific tissues and complicating the interpretation and analysis of the images. The solution to this problem has been to integrate PET with an anatomical imaging modality, initially X-ray computed tomography (CT) and more recently, magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. Integration of PET with MR for preclinical hybrid PET/MR imaging of small animals can be efficiently accomplished through using a PET insert that fits within the bore of an existing high field MR system and can operate simultaneously with the MR. During the previous funding cycle, our group successfully developed and deployed such an insert for small animal PET/MR imaging using new MR compatible silicon photodetectors and a multi-layer scintillator array to preserve spatial resolution in the compact ring diameter PET system. PET insert systems for preclinical imaging are now becoming commercially available, including one based on our design commercialized through a Canadian company. In this application I will build on our expertise in PET insert systems for small animal PET/MR to achieve my long term objective of creating hardware and software technologies that enable the use of hybrid PET/MR imaging with PET inserts as a routine imaging modality in preclinical small animal research studies and in human neuroimaging application. To achieve this goal, the short term objectives of my research program detailed in this proposal cover three themes: i) algorithms and hardware to advance preclinical PET/MR imaging; ii) detector development for next generation PET insert systems; and iii) creating technologies to facilitate and automate small animal PET/MR imaging. These research objectives create multi-disciplinary training opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students from Electrical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering and Medical Physics. Close collaboration with both end users of imaging systems at the preclinical animal imaging and clinical imaging levels, together with industrial partners that manufacture imaging systems, facilitates rapid testing and deployment of new technologies, integration of user feedback for revisions and a path for technology translation of new devices.