Multi-Tracer PET Tumor Imaging

描述（由申请人提供）：正电子发射断层扫描（PET）的最大优势之一是能够使用不同的放射性示踪剂对许多分子或生理靶点进行成像。PET在癌症检测和分期方面的临床应用已得到充分证实。用于成像代谢、增殖、血流和许多其他分子靶点的新示踪剂的开发为图像引导的个性化医学提供了几乎无限的潜力。然而，这种潜力中的大部分仍然没有实现，因为当前技术仅允许一次对一种PET示踪剂进行成像-需要安排多个扫描会话，通常在不同的日子，导致高成本、图像对准问题以及患者的长期和繁重的经历。我们已经表明，2-3 PET示踪剂可以可靠地成像在一个单一的扫描，其中每个示踪剂的成像结果恢复使用“信号分离”的图像处理算法。这些新技术现在已经发展到可以翻译并分发给最终用户以供广泛研究使用的程度。这种转换将需要进步和改进，使新的成像技术易于PET技术人员在常规基础上使用，此外，算法必须纳入符合法规和行业要求的软件医疗器械中。该项目将通过犹他州大学和多功能成像（MFI）之间的合作关系，通过与软件产品开发密切结合的持续科学研究来解决这些问题。科学进步和算法改进将在记录的设计和质量控制系统下进行，从而能够将这些技术立即快速地纳入医疗器械软件包（MFI-肿瘤学）。这些新兴技术的成功转化将通过将亨斯迈癌症研究所正在进行的临床研究过渡到单扫描多示踪剂成像来证明。新的MFI-Oncology软件将根据最终用户的IRB批准的方案广泛分发用于研究。最终，这将使多个机构的临床研究能够使用快速多示踪剂PET/CT扫描，建立这种新的研究工具，并为未来的临床使用积累疗效数据。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): One of the greatest strengths of positron emission tomography (PET) is the ability to image any of a number of molecular or physiologic targets using different radiotracers. The clinical utility of PET is well-established for cancer detection and staging. The development of new tracers for imaging metabolism, proliferation, blood flow and numerous other molecular targets offers almost unlimited potential for image- guided personalized medicine. However, much of this potential remains unrealized because current technology permits only one PET tracer to be imaged at a time-multiple scanning sessions need to be scheduled, often on different days, resulting in high costs, image alignment issues, and a long and onerous experience for the patient. We have shown that 2-3 PET tracers can be reliably imaged in a single scan, where imaging results for each tracer are recovered using "signal-separation" image processing algorithms. These new technologies have now advanced to the point where they are ready to be translated and distributed to end users for widespread research use. This translation will require advances and refinements that make the new imaging techniques easy to use by PET technologists on a routine basis, and moreover the algorithms must be incorporated into software medical devices that meet regulatory and industry requirements. This project will address these issues through continued scientific study closely coupled with software product development through a partnership between the University of Utah and MultiFunctional Imaging (MFI). Scientific advances and algorithm refinements will be performed under documented design and quality control systems, enabling immediate and rapid incorporation of these technologies into a software medical device package (MFI-Oncology). Successful translation of these emerging technologies will be demonstrated by transitioning ongoing clinical research studies at Huntsman Cancer Institute to single-scan multi-tracer imaging. The new MFI-Oncology software will then be widely distributed for research use under end user's IRB-approved protocols. Ultimately, this will enable clinical research studies at multiple institutions to use rapid multi-tracer PET/CT scanning, establishing this new research tool and accumulating data on efficacy for future clinical use.