Multi-Tracer PET Tumor Imaging

描述(申请人提供)：正电子发射断层扫描(PET)的最大优点之一是能够使用不同的放射性示踪剂对许多分子或生理目标进行成像。正电子发射计算机断层扫描在癌症检测和分期中的临床应用是公认的。用于新陈代谢、增殖、血流和众多其他分子靶点成像的新示踪剂的发展为图像引导的个性化医学提供了几乎无限的潜力。然而，这一潜力仍有很大一部分尚未实现，因为目前的技术只允许一次只对一种PET示踪剂进行成像-需要安排多个扫描会话，通常是在不同的日期，这导致了高昂的成本、图像对齐问题以及患者漫长而繁重的体验。我们已经证明，在一次扫描中可以可靠地对2-3个PET示踪剂进行成像，其中每个示踪剂的成像结果都是使用“信号分离”图像处理算法恢复的。这些新技术现在已经发展到可以翻译并分发给终端用户以供广泛研究使用的地步。这一转换将需要改进和改进，使新的成像技术易于PET技术专家在常规基础上使用，此外，算法必须整合到符合法规和行业要求的软件医疗设备中。该项目将通过犹他大学和多功能成像(MFI)之间的合作伙伴关系，通过持续的科学研究与软件产品开发紧密结合来解决这些问题。科学进步和算法改进将在文件化的设计和质量控制系统下进行，使这些技术能够立即和快速地纳入软件医疗设备包(MFI-Oncology)。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成像来展示。然后，新的MFI-Oncology软件将在最终用户的IRB批准的协议下广泛分发用于研究。最终，这将使多个机构的临床研究能够使用快速多示踪PET/CT扫描，建立这一新的研究工具，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.