High Sensitivity X-Ray Detector for Small Animal Combined PET/CT

描述(由申请人提供)： 专门的高分辨率小动物成像系统已经成为癌症研究的重要工具。这些系统允许对突变或病理进行非侵入性筛选，监测疾病进展和对治疗的反应。MicroPET在小动物模型的研究中显示出巨大的潜力，可以测量生物学参数，并可以在体内成像转基因表达。 目前的趋势是将PET和CT结合起来，使来自PET的功能信息可以与CT提供的解剖信息相互关联。然而，目前的X射线探测器提供了良好的空间分辨率，但灵敏度较低，限制了这种强大的组合模式的使用，并且信噪比(SNR)较低，导致对动物的高剂量。 为了提高信噪比，减少X射线对动物的剂量，我们提出了一种用于PET/CT联合系统的新型X射线探测器。该探测器将基于一种新的成像传感器，该传感器将雪崩光电二极管(增益)和传统的CCD(分辨率)的特性结合在一起，从而产生高灵敏度、高分辨率的成像系统。该系统将利用该CT探测器提供的卓越解剖图像，显著改善PET数据的可视化、解释和量化。 高灵敏度、高分辨率、大面积X射线探测器的问世将使新一代组合式小动物成像仪的开发成为可能，这将为癌症等疾病的研究提供强大的工具。因此，这种探测器将引起制药行业的极大兴趣。除了小动物成像外，该探测器还将在医学成像、结构生物学、无损检测等领域具有巨大的应用潜力。目前X射线探测器的市场估计价值数亿美元，其中很大一部分是所提出的技术将有很大帮助的应用。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Dedicated high-resolution small animal imaging systems have emerged as important tools for cancer research. These systems permit noninvasive screening of mutations or pathologies, monitor disease progression and response to therapy. MicroPET has demonstrated a tremendous potential in the study of small animal models, allowing the measurement of biological parameters and permitting in-vivo imaging of transgene expression. Current trends are towards combining PET with CT so that the functional information from PET can be co-related to the anatomic information provided by CT. However, the current X-ray detectors, which provide excellent spatial resolution, but have low sensitivities, limit the use of this powerful combined modality and poor signal to noise ratios (SNR), resulting in a high dose to the animal. To improve the SNR and to reduce the X-ray dose to the animal, we propose to develop a novel X-ray detector for combined PET/CT system. The detector will be based on a new imaging sensor that unites the properties of an avalanche photodiode (gain) and a conventional CCD (resolution), resulting in a high sensitivity, high resolution imaging system. The system will allow for dramatic improvements in visualization, interpretation, and quantification of PET data using superior anatomical images provided by this CT detector. The availability of a high-sensitivity, high-resolution, large area X-ray detector will allow development of new generation of combined small animal imagers, which provide a powerful tool for studies of such disease as cancer. As such, this detector will be of great interest to the pharmaceutical industry. In addition to the small animal imaging, the detector will have tremendous application potential in areas such as medical imaging, structural biology, nondestructive testing etc. The current market for X-ray detector is estimated to be in hundreds of millions of dollars, a significant fraction of which represents applications where proposed technology would be of great help.