Dementias Platform UK MR-PET Partnership

成像已经成为我们了解和诊断大脑变化的最具信息量的技术，这些变化是导致痴呆的基础和可能的原因。它还经历了非常快速的技术进步，使得在大约30分钟内获得扫描成为可能，而患者和志愿者在痴呆症研究中几乎不会感到不适。然而，到目前为止，为了获得完整的信息，需要两种不同类型的扫描，即磁共振成像(MRI)和正电子发射断层扫描(PET)，例如在治疗阿尔茨海默病的新药的临床试验中，以及在最终预防痴呆症的研究中。最新的新技术现在允许在一台混合MR-PET扫描仪中在一次扫描过程中同时获取MRI和PET。痴呆症平台英国(DPUK)成功地获得了一笔资本赠款，以建立一个独特的全国痴呆症成像网络，该网络基于位于英国各地大学的七台密切合作的MR-PET扫描仪。这项伙伴关系赠款将确保这些中心密切合作，确保以同样的最高标准记录和分析各地的扫描。因此，该网络将为痴呆症研究提供一个独特的、世界领先的同质平台，在比目前更大的患者和志愿者队列中进行研究，使临床试验和研究能够达到前所未有的规模。我们正在为这笔赠款中的四个特别工作组寻求支持。第一个特别工作组将确保所有合作伙伴和DPUK之间的有效沟通，并超越与所有相关利益攸关方的接触，包括患者倡导和支持团体、研究组织、科学协会和制药行业。第二个工作队将确保适当的工作人员培训。这一点特别重要，因为传统上，MRI和PET技术人员的培训是在单独的课程中组织的，几乎没有互动，还因为有两家不同的MR-PET扫描仪制造商，它们有自己的技术规格和培训时间表。这些边界将通过在两家制造商的MR-PET扫描仪上进行MRI和PET的系统交叉培训来克服。第三个工作组将进行一项试点研究，以实际协调所有中心和制造商的扫描和图像重建。这将确保所有合作伙伴按照相同的标准进行研究。第四个工作组将处理与PET方法的进一步发展高度相关的监管方面，这些方法依赖于新的成像剂(示踪剂)。这些新药物经常需要进行临床试验，类似于新的治疗药物，我们预计这种合作将提供一个极好的机会来促进这一过程。

Imaging has become the most informative technology for our understanding and diagnosis of brain changes that underlie and likely cause dementia. It has also undergone very rapid technological progress, making it possible to obtain scans within about 30 min with little discomfort for patients and volunteers in dementia research. However, in order to obtain complete information up to now two different types of scans, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET), are required for instance in clinical trials of new drugs against Alzheimer's disease and in research studies to ultimately prevent dementia. Very recent new technology now allows acquiring both, MRI and PET, simultaneously in a single scanning session in one hybrid MR-PET scanner. The dementias platform UK (DPUK) has been successful in acquiring a capital grant to build a unique national dementia imaging network based on seven closely collaborating MR-PET scanners located at universities across the UK. This partnership grant will ensure that these centres work closely together to ensure that scans are being recorded and analysed everywhere to the same highest standards. Thus, the network will provide a unique and world-leading homogeneous platform for dementia research in much larger cohorts of patients and volunteers than possible until now, enabling clinical trials and research studies at an unprecedented scale.We are seeking support for four task forces in this grant. The first task force will ensure effective communication between all partners and DPUK, but also beyond to engage with all relevant stakeholders, including patient advocacy and support groups, research organisations, scientific societies, and pharmaceutical industry. The second task force will ensure proper staff training. This is particularly relevant because traditionally training for technical MRI and PET staff has been organised in separate curricula with little interaction, and also because there are two different manufactures of MR-PET scanners with their own technical specifications and training schedules. These borders will be overcome by systematic cross training in MRI and PET on MR-PET scanners of both manufacturers. The third task force will perform a pilot study to actually harmonise scanning and image reconstruction across all centres and manufacturers. This will ensure that studies will be conducted by all partners to the same standards. The fourth task force will deal with regulatory aspects which are highly relevant for the further development of PET methods, which depend on new imaging agents (tracers). These new agents will often need to undergo clinical trials, similar to new therapeutic agents, and we envisage that this collaboration would provide an excellent opportunity to facilitate this process.