Dual-isotope positron emitting tomography for disease evaluation

Stanford researchers have developed a method which can simultaneously observe two positron emitting isotopes using two distinct molecular probes and a modified PET scanner. This system enables the simultaneous observation of two different molecular processes. One of the probes is a metabolic probe, and the other probe is a selective probe that includes a ligand or antibody that is biologically responsive to receptor/antigen status. A PET system is employed that can provide simultaneous double coincidence and triple coincidence PET images. The resulting images provide simultaneous metabolic imaging and receptor/antigen imaging. Applications include disease evaluation, such as cancer staging (e.g., for breast cancer, prostate cancer, lymphoma, etc.).

Stage of Research:
Simulation studies successfully conducted which showed 3x boost in sensitivity w/BGOs