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Newcastle University has installed a Biograph 40 TruePoint™ PET-CT scanner from Siemens Healthcare.

Newcastle University has installed a Biograph 40 TruePoint™ PET-CT scanner from Siemens Healthcare.  Primarily funded by the regional development agency ONE NorthEast and located at the Newcastle Position Emission Tomography Centre, the system has recently begun its first clinical trials.

The Biograph 40 TruePoint™ PET-CT is designed to determine the exact location, size, nature and extent of disease by combining the functional information of PET with the anatomical information acquired by the integrated diagnostic 40-slice CT.  The combination of both PET and CT will allow researchers at the university to detect changes in molecular activity, revealing the smallest lesions in fine detail in order to study the nature of cancers.

Researchers at the centre will also focus on radiotherapy planning and have already begun scans in this area.  Hybrid functional and anatomical information from the Biograph 40 will create clear images that reveal the nature of disease.  The research team will then use these images to evaluate the efficacy of PET-CT for implementing radiation therapy treatment plans.

"We are very pleased with the image quality of the Biograph 40," said Dr. Ross Maxwell, Scientific Director of PET-CT at the Newcastle Position Emission Tomography Centre.  "Beginning with trials into diagnostic oncology, we hope to make full use of the system's innovative capabilities by carrying out studies into the evaluation of new cancer drugs, radiotherapy planning and age-related disorders."

"The Biograph 40 will allow the research team to expand the use of molecular imaging beyond diagnostics to play a larger role in disease management," said Lawrence Foulsham, Product Manager for Molecular Imaging and Oncology at Siemens Healthcare.  "These exciting clinical trials into the nature of oncology highlight the potential of PET-CT for treatment planning, therapy monitoring and follow-up.  We look forward to seeing how this research progresses and the benefits the Biograph 40 will bring to the centre."