June 7, 2018

New PET/CT scanner set to expand research opportunities

A research-dedicated PET/CT scanner installed recently in the Vanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science (VUIIS) will expand opportunities for Vanderbilt researchers to conduct studies of a wide range of disorders, from cancer to Alzheimer’s disease.

Todd Peterson, PhD, director of Nuclear Imaging, and Anna Fisher, certified nuclear medicine technologist, help oversee the operation of the new research PET/CT scanner. (photo by Anne Rayner)

A research-dedicated PET/CT scanner installed recently in the Vanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science (VUIIS) will expand opportunities for Vanderbilt researchers to conduct studies of a wide range of disorders, from cancer to Alzheimer’s disease.

The nearly $2 million, state-of-the-art Phillips Vereos scanner combines anatomical information from computerized tomography (CT) with functional information at the molecular level obtained from positron emission tomography (PET).

Vanderbilt University Medical Center currently has two heavily utilized clinical PET/CT scanners in the Division of Nuclear Medicine.

The new scanner in the VUIIS Center for Human Imaging will provide greater access and flexibility for investigators to pursue their research throughout the day. It also will offer unique opportunities for animal studies.

In addition to clinically available PET imaging agents, a wide variety of investigational probes are available to researchers through the VUIIS Radiochemistry Core.

For more information, contact Todd Peterson, PhD, associate professor of Radiology and Radiological Sciences and VUIIS director of Nuclear Imaging at todd.e.peterson@vanderbilt.edu.