Five Diverse Imaging Technologies Now Combined in One SPECT/PET/CT System

Biomedical researchers can now choose to perform five different imaging studies in one scan with a cutting-edge preclinical molecular imaging system.
The imaging device allows single photon emission tomography (SPECT), positron emission tomography (PET), computed tomography (CT), fluorescence and bioluminescence imaging—effective imaging techniques that provide diverse data about anatomy and physiologic processes occurring within the body.

The scientists presented the technology during the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging’s 2014 annual meeting, held June 7–11, 2014, in St. Louis (MO, USA). With the Opti-SPECT/PET/CT system, SPECT or PET information reveals drug distribution and enhances interpretation of optical data, while bioluminescence and fluorescence characterize additional tumor features. The tracer agents that are developed with the system will be used as a surgical guide for clinicians.

“We need to know as much as possible from our enemy: the tumor,” Frederik Beekman, PhD, explained Dr. Beekman is head of radiation technology and medical imaging and a professor at Delft University of Technology (Delft, The Netherlands). “This research proves that we can now obtain comprehensive data from five medical imaging systems in a single scan. It is minimally invasive and requires only a single dose of anesthesia.”

Opti-SPECT/PET/CT is constructed on a small scale for preclinical studies and allows scientists to use a range of imaging modalities including high-resolution nuclear medicine (SPECT and PET), radiologic (CT), and optical imaging (fluorescence and bioluminescence). This means that information about organ function, structure, and real-time physiologic signals seen within the light spectrum are all available in a synergistic merging of sophisticated medical imaging. The hybrid system includes high-performance cameras and an on-board dark room. The molecular imaging platform could be used for new drug discovery, particularly for imaging agents that could be used intraoperatively for patients undergoing cancer surgery.

To evaluate the device, researchers imaged models and then mice in multiple studies using a fluorescent dye optical agent and a nuclear medicine imaging agent that incorporates a radioactive particle with a chemical drug compound. The agent is injected and then imaged as it homes in on and interacts with specific bodily functions. In this instance, that function is angiogenesis, or the development of new blood vessels, which often proliferate as a tumor grows. The study’s findings validated the imaging system’s functionality and demonstrated that it was comparable to other add-on imaging platforms for preclinical studies.

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Delft University of Technology