Molecular Imaging

Molecular imaging (also called nuclear medicine or nuclear imaging) can image the function of cells inside the body at the molecular level. This includes the imaging modalities of positron emission computed tomography (PET) and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging. How does PET and SPECT imaging work? Small amounts of radioactive material (radiopharmaceuticals) injected into a patient. These can use sugars or chemical traits to bond to specific cells. The radioactive material is taken up by cells that consume the sugars. The radiation emitted from inside the body is detected by photon detectors outside the body. Computers take the data to assemble images of the radiation emissions. Nuclear images may appear fuzzy or ghostly rather than the sharper resolution from MRI and CT.  But, it provides metabolic information at a cellular level, showing if there are defects in the function of the heart, areas of very high metabolic activity associated with cancer cells, or areas of inflammation, data not available from other modalities. These noninvasive imaging exams are used to diagnose cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, bone disorders and other disorders. 

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International Isotopes reports 17% first quarter gain

Idaho Falls, Idaho, producer of nuclear medicine products and services International Isotopes announced May 15 the financial results for the first quarter 2014. Revenue was reported as $1,948,856, up 17 percent from $1,672,789 for the same timeframe last year.

Neuro expert Ira Shoulson joins Prana’s board of directors

Australia is a hotbed of Alzheimer’s and other neuroimaging and therapeutics research. Melbourne-based Prana Biotechnology is bringing in a new director, Ira Shoulson, MD, to serve on the company’s board.

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Glass Brain shows 3D detail of brain connectivity

Watch a fly-through of Glass Brain, a 3D imagining of the human brain by researchers at the University of California San Francisco. This video shows the 3D brain model made possible by electroencephalography data and white matter tract reconstruction from MRI diffusion tensor imaging. UCSF is using the technology to research possible treatments for neurodegenerative disease.

Quantitative imaging and genomics merge with CorTechs Labs and HLI database

CorTechs Labs, a quantitative imaging technology company in San Diego, is teaming up with the genomics and therapeutics group Human Longevity Inc. (HLI) to align their data into a comprehensive phenotyping database.

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UCSF moves toward bio Silicon Valley

The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) announced yesterday that the institution is strengthening a series of partnerships to develop technologies that aim to treat neurodegenerative disease.

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Revisiting the human genome

The human genome was first mapped just a little over a decade ago. Its 3 billion bits of DNA are the pages of the human instruction manual. Read this great review featuring Eric S. Lander from MIT, Harvard, and the Broad Institute in Cambridge to see how far we've come and what the future of genomics holds.

Clarifying cancer with 3D modeling

The shape of cancer genomics may be a new calling card for 3D oncologic imaging. Studying the formation of cancer cell genomes could potentially provide more information about a patient's cancer than just focusing on genetic expression. Scientists at McGill University in Montreal are finding that the form of a cancer cell genome can even tell them what subtype of cancer a patient has.

Is preoperative PET/CT necessary for advanced colon cancer?

PET/CT prior to hepatic resection for advanced colorectal cancer patients with liver metastases may not be as beneficial as previously thought, according to a study published today in the Journal of the American Medicine Association.

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Around the web

Cardiovascular Business
Positron partners with Upbeat Cardiology Solutions to improve cardiac PET/CT access

Positron, a New York-based nuclear imaging company, will now provide Upbeat Cardiology Solutions with advanced PET/CT systems and services. 

Cardiovascular Business
Global shortage of nuclear imaging isotopes may be over

The nuclear imaging isotope shortage of molybdenum-99 may be over now that the sidelined reactor is restarting. ASNC's president says PET and new SPECT technologies helped cardiac imaging labs better weather the storm.

Cardiovascular Business
‘A huge win’: CMS significantly increases Medicare payments for cardiac CT

CMS has more than doubled the CCTA payment rate from $175 to $357.13. The move, expected to have a significant impact on the utilization of cardiac CT, received immediate praise from imaging specialists.