At this week's Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) meeting, Dutch researchers are unveiling a preclinical research scanner that incorporates five modalities.
Called Opti-SPECT/PET/CT, the device allows SPECT, PET, CT, fluorescence, and bioluminescence imaging all at once with only a single dose of anesthesia. SPECT or PET data detail drug distribution and improve interpretation of optical data, while bioluminescence and fluorescence characterize additional tumor properties.
Opti-SPECT/PET/CT is built on a small scale for preclinical studies, according to the researchers from Delft University of Technology in Delft, the Netherlands. The hybrid system includes high-performance cameras and an on-board dark room. The molecular imaging platform could be used for new drug discovery, especially for imaging agents that could be used intraoperatively for patients undergoing cancer surgery.
To test the device, the researchers imaged models and then mice in multiple studies using a fluorescent dye optical agent and a nuclear medicine radiopharmaceutical that combines a radioactive particle with a chemical drug compound.
The agent is injected and then imaged as it targets and interacts with specific bodily functions, in this case angiogenesis. The study results confirmed the imaging system's functionality and show it was comparable to other add-on imaging platforms for preclinical studies.
