Adding functional MR sequences to a routine MR protocol, particularly DCE MR imaging, provides a specificity of more than 95 percent for distinguishing recurrent sarcoma from postsurgical scarring, according to a study published online Feb. 1 by Radiology.

Three major patient advocacy associations, the Alzheimer’s Association, the Michael J. Fox Foundation and the W. Garfield Weston Foundation, have joined forces to encourage researchers to explore the biological bridges between Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and other neurodegenerative diseases.

The global market for medical reagents, including those used for molecular imaging purposes, is expected to grow substantially through 2016, according to a market report announced Feb. 5 from research firm TechNavio.

FluoroPharma Medical, based in Montclair, N.J., announced yesterday that new results from an ongoing phase II clinical trial for F-18 FCPHA cardiac PET for the diagnosis of acute coronary artery disease (CAD) were positive and providing validation for further research.

A partnership between MPI Research, 3D Imaging and inviCRO has led to a new translational imaging center complete with on-site cyclotron that recently broke ground in Mattawan, Mich. The institution is scheduled to open this spring, according to the Feb. 5 announcement from MPI.

Angiography cannot differentiate between vulnerable and stable plaques, which inform clinicians about a patient’s risk of rupture. Immuno-imaging with SPECT/CT could be a route for marking increased immune response at the site of high-risk vulnerable plaques, but there remain some complications, according to a study published Jan. 21 in Molecular Imaging.

This week, the National Institutes of Health announced a major partnership with pharmaceutical companies and nonprofit organizations to search for and validate biomarkers for drug development, including a major focus on Alzheimer's disease.

Susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI) enhances and detects small lesions in mild traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), revealing a hypointensity burden metric with statistically significant changes in male patients over time, according to a study published online by the Journal of Neurology on Feb. 4.