High resolution positron emission tomography (PET) insert systems for multimodality PET/magnetic resonance imaging

正电子发射断层扫描（PET）是一种成像方式，通过对放射性标记示踪剂的生物分布进行成像，可以在临床和临床前环境中，在分子水平上对组织功能进行无创评估。许多PET成像示踪剂的高特异性导致图像中几乎没有解剖信息，这使得很难将示踪剂摄取到特定组织，并使图像的解释和分析复杂化。这个问题的解决方案是将PET与解剖学成像模式相结合，最初是x射线计算机断层扫描（CT），最近是磁共振（MR）成像。PET与MR的集成用于小动物的临床前混合PET/MR成像，可以通过使用适合现有高场MR系统孔内的PET插入物来有效地完成，并且可以与MR同时操作。我们的团队成功开发并部署了这样一种用于小动物PET/MR成像的插入物，使用新的MR兼容硅光电探测器和多层闪烁体阵列，以保持紧凑环形直径PET系统的空间分辨率。用于临床前成像的PET插入系统现已商业化，其中一种基于我们的设计，已通过一家加拿大公司商业化。******在这个应用程序中，我将建立我们在小动物PET/MR PET插入系统方面的专业知识，以实现我的长期目标，即创建硬件和软件技术，使混合PET/MR成像与PET插入作为临床前小动物研究和人类神经成像应用的常规成像方式。为了实现这一目标，本提案中详细介绍的我的研究计划的短期目标涵盖三个主题：i)算法和硬件*，以推进临床前PET/MR成像；ii)下一代PET插入系统的检测器开发；iii)创造技术来促进和自动化小动物PET/MR成像。******这些研究目标为电气工程、生物医学工程和医学物理学的研究生和本科生创造了多学科的培训机会。与临床前动物成像和临床成像水平的成像系统最终用户密切合作，与制造成像系统的工业合作伙伴一起，促进新技术的快速测试和部署，整合用户反馈以进行修订，并为新设备的技术翻译提供途径。************

Positron emission*tomography (PET) is an imaging modality that allows non-invasive assessment of tissue*function at the molecular level in both clinical and preclinical settings*through imaging the biodistribution of radioactively labelled tracers. The high*specificity of many PET imaging tracers results in images with little anatomical*information, making it difficult to assign the tracer uptake to specific*tissues and complicating the interpretation and analysis of the images. The*solution to this problem has been to integrate PET with an anatomical imaging*modality, initially X-ray computed tomography (CT) and more recently, magnetic*resonance (MR) imaging. Integration of PET with MR for preclinical hybrid*PET/MR imaging of small animals can be efficiently accomplished through using a*PET insert that fits within the bore of an existing high field MR system and*can operate simultaneously with the MR. During the previous funding cycle, our*group successfully developed and deployed such an insert for small animal*PET/MR imaging using new MR compatible silicon photodetectors and a multi-layer*scintillator array to preserve spatial resolution in the compact ring diameter*PET system. PET insert systems for preclinical imaging are now becoming*commercially available, including one based on our design commercialized through*a Canadian company.******In this application I will build on our*expertise in PET insert systems for small animal PET/MR to achieve my long*term objective of creating hardware and software technologies that*enable the use of hybrid PET/MR imaging with PET inserts as a routine imaging*modality in preclinical small animal research studies and in human neuroimaging*application. To achieve this goal, the short term objectives of my research*program detailed in this proposal cover three themes: i) algorithms and hardware*to advance preclinical PET/MR imaging; ii) detector development for next*generation PET insert systems; and iii) creating technologies to facilitate and*automate small animal PET/MR imaging.******These research objectives create multi-disciplinary*training opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students from Electrical*Engineering, Biomedical Engineering and Medical Physics. Close collaboration*with both end users of imaging systems at the preclinical animal imaging and*clinical imaging levels, together with industrial partners that manufacture*imaging systems, facilitates rapid testing and deployment of new technologies, integration*of user feedback for revisions and a path for technology translation of new devices.************