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几乎没有解剖学信息，使得难以将示踪剂摄取分配到特定组织，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与解剖成像方式结合起来，最初是X射线计算机断层扫描（CT），最近是磁共振（MR）成像。将PET与MR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系统的孔内的 *PET插入物有效地实现，并且 * 可以与MR同时操作。在上一个资助周期中，我们的 * 小组成功地开发和部署了这样一个插入小动物 *PET/MR成像使用新的MR兼容硅光电探测器和多层 * 闪烁体阵列，以保持紧凑的环直径 *PET系统中的空间分辨率。用于临床前成像的PET插入系统现已 * 商业化，包括通过 * 一家加拿大公司 ** 商业化的基于我们设计的系统。在本申请中，我将利用我们在小动物PET/MR PET插入系统方面的 * 专业知识，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插入一起用作临床前小动物研究和人类神经成像 * 应用中的常规成像 * 模式。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）推进临床前PET/MR成像的算法和硬件 *; ii）下一代PET插入系统的探测器开发;以及iii）创建促进和自动化小动物PET/MR成像的技术。这些研究目标为电气工程、生物医学工程和医学物理的研究生和本科生创造了多学科的培训机会。在临床前动物成像和临床成像水平上与成像系统的最终用户密切合作 *，与制造 * 成像系统的工业合作伙伴一起，促进了新技术的快速测试和部署，整合 * 用户对修订的反馈，并为新设备的技术转化提供了途径。*

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.************