HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Figures Only Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Related articles in JNM Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Cherry, S. R. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Cherry, S. R.

The 2006 Henry N. Wagner Lecture: Of Mice and Men (and Positrons)—Advances in PET Imaging Technology^*

Center for Molecular and Genomic Imaging, Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California–Davis, Davis, California

Correspondence: For correspondence or reprints contact: Simon R. Cherry, PhD, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Center for Molecular and Genomic Imaging, University of California–Davis, 1 Shields Ave., Davis, CA 95616. E-mail: srcherry{at}ucdavis.edu

There have been major advances in PET technology that cumulatively have helped improve image quality, increased the range of applications for PET, and contributed to the more widespread use of PET. Examples of these technologic advances include whole-body imaging, 3-dimensional imaging, new scintillator materials, iterative reconstruction algorithms, combined PET/CT, and preclinical PET. New advances on the immediate horizon include the reintroduction of time-of-flight PET, which takes advantage of the favorable timing properties of newer scintillators; the integration of PET and MRI scanners into a dual-modality imaging system; and the possibility of further significant improvements in spatial resolution in preclinical PET systems. Sensitivity remains a limiting factor in many PET studies. Although, conceptually, huge gains in sensitivity are still possible, realizing these gains is thwarted largely by economic rather than scientific concerns. Predicting the future is fraught with difficulty; nonetheless, it is apparent that ample opportunities remain for new development and innovation in PET technology that will be driven by the demands of molecular medicine, notably sensitive and specific molecular diagnostic tools and the ability to quantitatively monitor therapeutic entities that include small molecules, peptides, antibodies, nanoparticles, DNA/RNA, and cells.

Key Words: instrumentation • molecular imaging • PET • positron emission tomography • PET/MRI • time-of-flight

Related articles in JNM:

This Month in JNM

JNM 2006 47: 9a-10a. [Full Text]  

This article has been cited by other articles:

				J. V. Frangioni New Technologies for Human Cancer Imaging J. Clin. Oncol., August 20, 2008; 26(24): 4012 - 4021. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				B. J. Pichler, H. F. Wehrl, and M. S. Judenhofer Latest Advances in Molecular Imaging Instrumentation J. Nucl. Med., June 1, 2008; 49(Suppl_2): 5S - 23S. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. J. Akins and P. Dubey Noninvasive Imaging of Cell-Mediated Therapy for Treatment of Cancer J. Nucl. Med., June 1, 2008; 49(Suppl_2): 180S - 195S. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				F. E. Turkheimer, N. Boussion, A. N. Anderson, N. Pavese, P. Piccini, and D. Visvikis PET Image Denoising Using a Synergistic Multiresolution Analysis of Structural (MRI/CT) and Functional Datasets J. Nucl. Med., April 1, 2008; 49(4): 657 - 666. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. H. Hausner, D. DiCara, J. Marik, J. F. Marshall, and J. L. Sutcliffe Use of a Peptide Derived from Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus for the Noninvasive Imaging of Human Cancer: Generation and Evaluation of 4-[18F]Fluorobenzoyl A20FMDV2 for In vivo Imaging of Integrin {alpha}v{beta}6 Expression with Positron Emission Tomography Cancer Res., August 15, 2007; 67(16): 7833 - 7840. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]