The Molecular Imaging Core offers a full range of services for academic researchers and industry partners. Users of the Core facility benefit from unique scanning capabilities, greater availability for scheduling and a host of ancillary services.
The facility is home to four MR-PET systems: two large-bore (human-size) scanners and two small-bore scanners. The former include a state-of-the-art whole-body system enabling simultaneous imaging of molecular processes throughout the body and brain. The system is one of the few in the region available to outside users. We are currently building a PET scanner for our 7T MRI system and preparing to add a PET-CT scanner to our fleet. We can also combine molecular imaging tools with other advanced imaging technologies for multimodal studies tackling unique research challenges.
Because the imaging systems in the Core are dedicated to research use, they are available throughout the working day — not only after clinical use, as is often the case with other facilities.
In addition, with an onsite cyclotron, we can produce a broad range of PET radiotracers for clinical and preclinical research studies, including both existing and bespoke tracers. We can also produce PET compounds with external Cu-64 and our Ga-68 generator capabilities. Our research-first focus allows us to work more dynamically than many other PET centers, which primarily focus on just a few FDA-approved diagnostic radiotracers.
