IBA Cyclone 18/9 Cyclotron

描述(由申请人提供)：弗吉尼亚大学医学院和工程学院已经在开发和应用成像方法方面建立了成功的研究计划，用于对小动物和人类缺血性心脏病、癌症、糖尿病、肺部炎症和药物成瘾的分子机制进行非侵入性系列研究。成像由UVA分子成像中心(UVaMIC)进行，该中心拥有最先进的成像设备，包括磁共振(MR)、X射线计算机断层扫描(CT)、荧光和生物发光成像(BLI)、单伽马发射断层扫描(SPECT)和正电子发射断层扫描(PET)扫描仪。放射性示踪剂成像(PET和SPECT)在灵敏度和空间分辨率之间提供了良好的平衡，最适合于对少量靶向显像剂进行成像。然而，生产定制的靶向PET和SPECT显像剂需要广泛的基础设施。我们已经与适当的化学家和放射化学实验室空间建立了这样的基础设施。然而，附近没有回旋加速器，所以我们只能从远处接收少量足够长寿命的PET同位素。这大大增加了成本，降低了合成效率，并完全阻止了我们使用各种研究所需的一些寿命较短的同位素(例如，半衰期为20分钟的[11C]碳，或半衰期为2分钟的[15O]氧)。我们正在为放射性同位素生产设备申请资金，这些设备将弥补我们目前合成靶向显像剂所缺少的一环。我们建议购买IBA18/9回旋加速器及配件。通过现有的全面技术、科学和管理计划，将确保充分利用回旋加速器提供的增强能力。 公共卫生相关性在UVA现有的大量成像资源基础上增加回旋加速器与公共健康的相关性在于，回旋加速器的存在将使目前无法利用正电子发射计算机断层扫描和SPECT扫描检测、表征和治疗疾病的新方法的研究成为可能。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The University of Virginia (UVa) Schools of Medicine and Engineering have established successful research programs in the development and application of imaging methodologies for non-invasive serial studies of the molecular mechanisms underlying ischemic heart disease, cancer, diabetes, lung inflammation, and drug addiction in small animals and humans. Imaging is carried out by the UVa Molecular Imaging Center (UVaMIC) that houses state of the art imaging devices including magnetic resonance (MR), X-ray computed tomography (CT), fluorescence and bioluminescence imaging (BLI), single gamma emission tomography (SPECT), and positron emission tomography (PET) scanners. Radiotracer imaging (PET and SPECT) provides a good balance between sensitivity and spatial resolution and is best for imaging small amounts of targeted imaging agents. However, an extensive infrastructure is necessary for the production of custom targeted PET and SPECT imaging agents. We have established such an infrastructure with the appropriate chemists and radiochemistry lab space. However, there are no cyclotrons nearby, so we are relegated to receiving a small number of sufficiently long-lived PET isotopes from afar. This greatly increases the cost, decreases the efficiency of syntheses, and entirely precludes us from using some of the shorter lived isotopes (e.g., [11C]Carbon with a 20 minute half-life, or [15O]Oxygen with a 2 minute half-life) that are necessary for a variety of studies. We are requesting funds for radioisotope production equipment that will provide the missing link in our current setup for the synthesis of targeted imaging agents. We propose to purchase the IBA 18/9 cyclotron and accessories. Full utilization of the enhanced capabilities afforded by the cyclotron will be assured through an existing comprehensive technical, scientific, and administrative plan. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE The relevance to public health of the addition of a cyclotron to the already extensive imaging resources available at UVa is that the presence of a cyclotron will enable research that is now not possible on new ways of detecting, characterizing, and treating diseases utilizing PET and SPECT scanning.