Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania

Penn PET Explorer

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Program - Session 2

Moderator: David Mankoff

3:00-3:20 Richard Carson - Challenges and Opportunities for Whole-body Kinetic Modeling

Yale University

headshot Dr. Carson

Abstract

Tracer kinetic modeling in PET provides the ability to convert radioactivity measurements to physiological assays throughout the body. This requires a good understanding of the tracer’s behavior and the ability to simultaneously measure the tracer input function and the tissue response in one or more target tissues/lesions. Total blood activity can be measured from appropriate blood pools that can be quantified from the images, but the proper input function must account for the difference between plasma and whole blood, as well as the presence of radiolabeled metabolites. Alternatively, analyses can use a suitable reference region or organ, so long as sufficient data are available in both the reference and target organs.  Examples from studies in current generation PET/CT scanners of these approaches will be given including [F-18]FDG for dynamic tumor imaging, the VMAT2 tracer [F-18]FP-DTBZ and dopamine receptor tracer [C-11]PHNO for pancreatic beta-cell imaging, and the norepinephrine transporter [C-11]MRB for brown adipose tissue imaging. Future directions in this area, including the potential of the Explorer to expand these capabilities, will be presented.

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3:25-3:45 Robert Mach - Explorer PET: Opportunities in the Evaluation of PET Radiotracrs for Oncology and Neuroscience Applications

University of Pennsylvania

dr. robert mach

Abstract

Our group has been actively engaged in the development of small molecule-based PET radiotracers for studying a wide variety of biological targets, including: 1) dopamine D3 receptors in neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders; 2) PARP-1 expression in tumors having a deficiency in homologous recombination repair pathways; 3) oxidative stress as a mediator of neuroinflammation and chemotherapy-induced cardiotoxicity; and, 4) abnormal misfolding and aggregation of alpha synuclein in Parkinson’s disease and other neurological disorders.  PET studies with these radiotracers have been largely focused on imaging a single organ or region of interest.  This talk will discuss how the availability of the Explorer PET will advance the types of multidisciplinary imaging studies possible with these novel PET radiotracers.

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3:50-4:10 Lisa States - Why We Need a Total Body PET/CT in Pediatrics!

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

dr. lisa states

Abstract

The clinical use of PET/CT continues as evolve as a primary imaging tool in the care of the pediatric patients with oncologic and non-oncologic conditions.  This talk will focus on the challenges of imaging the pediatric patient and the potential benefits of using this new, long axial field of view “Total-Body” technology.

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4:15-4:35 Jeffrey Schmall - Challenges in the design of large axial PET instruments

University of Pennsylvania

dr. jeffery schmall

Abstract

This presentation will provide an overview of the engineering and instrumentation challenges in developing scanners with large axial length for total-body PET. We will discuss our approach and the design considerations we have made in the construction of a large-axial FOV scanner that is based on digital SiPM technology supplied by Philips Healthcare arranged in a scalable ring geometry, currently 70cm in length with plans to extend the FOV up to 2m. We will show results characterizing the performance of the detector modules that will be used in the system, with an emphasis on their TOF resolution and count rate capabilities provided by the 1-to-1 coupling design of the detector, and compare with currently available commercial PET technology and assess how total-system performance will be impacted. We will also describe some of our other ongoing research projects related to the Explorer project, including advanced image reconstruction techniques, data acquisition and signal processing strategies. Lastly, we will introduce the design of an insert detector package that is concurrently being developed with the explorer system to locally improve spatial resolution in the brain, which may be useful for multi-organ studies.  

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4:40-5:00 David Mankoff - Panel discussion: Future directions and resources for large volume PET imaging

Panel members:

  • Joel Karp, University of Pennsylvania
  • Simon Cherry, University of California, Davis
  •  All presenters from Session 1 and 2

David Mankoff

University of Pennsylvania

Joel Karp

University of Pennsylvania

Simon Cherry

University of California, Davis
dr joel karp dr. simon cherry

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5:00-6:00 Poster Session and Reception

There will be a reception in the lobby of the Smilow Translational Research Center where some light hors d'oeuvres will be served.

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For the session 1 program click here