A combined positron emission tomography (PET)-electron paramagnetic resonance imaging (EPRI) system: initial evaluation of a prototype scanner

摘要: The advent of hybrid scanners, combining complementary modalities, has revolutionized the application advanced imaging technology to clinical practice and biomedical research. In this project, we investigated melding two complementary, functional methods: positron emission tomography (PET) electron paramagnetic resonance (EPRI). PET radiotracers can provide important information about cellular parameters, such as glucose metabolism. While EPR probes assessment tissue microenvironment, measuring oxygenation pH, for example. Therefore, a combined PET/EPRI scanner promises new insights not attainable with current imagers by simultaneous acquisition multiple components microenvironments. To explore images, prototype system was created existing scanners. Specifically, silicon photomultiplier (SiPM)-based ring designed portable an EPRI small animals. ability obtain images assessed phantom consisting four cylinders containing both tracer spin probe. resulting demonstrated contemporaneous without cross-modality interference. Given promising results from initial investigation, next step in project is construction generation pre-clinical multi-parametric physiologically-important parameters