State-of-the-Art PET/CT Instrumentation

描述（由申请人提供）：该共享仪器提案的目标是通过收购用于人体研究的最先进的PET/CT扫描仪来扩展耶鲁正电子发射断层扫描（PET）中心的能力。PET成像提供了一种非侵入性的方法来检测和检查生物体内的生化过程和生理功能。通过使用特定的放射性标记的分子，国家的最先进的扫描设备，和示踪剂动力学建模技术，定量测量范围广泛的生理功能，可以在临床和临床前人群进行评估。PET在肿瘤学、心脏病学、神经科学、代谢紊乱、炎症等领域具有广泛的应用。该提案的目标是利用耶鲁PET中心在现有PET扫描仪的放射化学和定量PET成像方面的专业知识，并扩大PET/CT在涉及心血管疾病、糖尿病和肿瘤学的人类研究中的应用。因此，我们选择了具有飞行时间能力、高灵敏度和分辨率以及在定量精度和计数率性能方面的优异性能的PET/CT系统。当这些PET仪器特性与具有出色轴向采样和高速的CT扫描仪相结合时，该系统可以为耶鲁研究者的PET/CT研究提供理想的特性。对于肿瘤学研究而言，联合PET/CT的需求是不言而喻的，因为肿瘤学研究需要同时对肿瘤摄取进行解剖定位。糖尿病研究需要PET/CT联合测量胰腺2细胞功能，心血管研究需要PET/CT联合测量，以将基于CT的解剖和功能测量与PET的生理测量相关联。在使用新型放射性药物的研究中，联合PET/CT的需求将更加重要。在没有高分辨率解剖数据的情况下，无法解释新示踪剂的空间定位，其中正常摄取模式未知。此外，当采用复杂的多模态图像分析技术时，拟议的高端PET/CT将具有更大的实用性，包括基于图像的示踪剂输入功能测量以及心脏和呼吸运动伪影的校正。拟议的系统将支持NIH资助的心脏病科、诊断放射科、内科、肿瘤内科、妇产科和治疗放射科的研究人员。新型放射性药物和PET/CT成像的增强利用将导致更好地了解心脏病，癌症，代谢紊乱等涉及的生化过程，这反过来又将导致开发新的或改进的治疗这些疾病。总之，这些应用在改善公众健康方面具有巨大潜力。 公共卫生相关性：该研究项目旨在为正电子发射断层扫描（PET）和CT研究提供最先进的成像设备。PET/CT成像用于研究和了解癌症、糖尿病等代谢性疾病和心血管疾病中涉及的生化和病理生理过程。增加一个新的PET/CT系统将使我们能够利用耶鲁PET中心在放射化学和定量PET成像方面的专业知识，支持广泛的临床成像研究项目，这反过来又将导致新的疾病治疗方法和新的疾病进展和治疗结果监测方法的发展。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The goal of this shared instrumentation proposal is to expand the capabilities of the Yale Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Center by the acquisition of a state-of-the-art PET/CT scanner for human research studies. PET imaging provides a non-invasive method to detect and examine biochemical processes and physiological functions in the living body. Through the use of specific radiolabeled molecules, state-of-the-art scanning equipment, and the techniques of tracer kinetic modeling, quantitative measurements of a wide range of physiological functions can be assessed in clinical and pre-clinical populations. PET has broad applications in the areas of oncology, cardiology, neurosciences, metabolic disorders, inflammation, and others. The goal of this proposal is to leverage the Yale PET Center's expertise in radiochemistry and quantitative PET imaging from our existing PET-only scanners and to expand the use of PET/CT in human research studies involving cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and oncology. Therefore, we have chosen the proposed PET/CT system with time-of-flight capabilities, high sensitivity and resolution, and excellent performance in terms of quantitative accuracy and count rate performance. When these PET instrumentation characteristics are combined with a CT scanner with excellent axial sampling and high speed, the system can provide ideal characteristics for PET/CT research studies of Yale investigators. The need for a combined PET/CT is self-evident for oncology research which requires simultaneous anatomical localization of tumor uptake. Work in diabetes requires combined PET/CT for pancreas measurements of 2 cell function and cardiovascular studies require combined PET/CT to correlate CT-based anatomical and functional measures with the physiological measurements from PET. The need for combined PET/CT will be of even greater importance in research studies using novel radiopharmaceuticals. The interpretation of the spatial localization of a new tracer, where normal uptake patterns are unknown, cannot be performed without high resolution anatomical data. In addition, the proposed high-end PET/CT will be of even greater utility when sophisticated multimodality image analysis techniques are employed, including image-based measurement of tracer input function and corrections for cardiac and respiratory motion artifacts. The proposed system will support NIH-funded investigators in the Departments of Cardiology, Diagnostic Radiology, Internal Medicine, Medical Oncology, Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Therapeutic Radiology. Enhanced utilization of novel radiopharmaceuticals and PET/CT imaging will lead to a better understanding of biochemical processes involved in cardiac disease, cancer, metabolic disorders, and others, which in turn will lead to the development of new, or improved treatment for these diseases. Together, these applications hold tremendous potential in improving the health of the general public. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: This research project aims to provide state-of-the art imaging equipment for combined Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and CT research studies. PET/CT imaging is used to investigate and understand the biochemical and pathophysiological processes involved in cancers, metabolic diseases such as diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Addition of a new PET/CT system will allow us to leverage the Yale PET Center's expertise in radiochemistry and quantitative PET imaging to support a wide range of clinical imaging research projects, which in turn will lead to the development of new disease treatments and new approaches for monitoring of disease progressions and treatment outcomes.