South African Nuclear Energy Corp. announced this month that a leak has resulted in a global shortage of molybdenum-99, the precursor for Tc-99m used in a majority of molecular imaging scans. Authorities reportedly conducted an investigation Nov. 12 at the NTP plant in Pelindaba, just shy of 20 miles from the capital of Pretoria. It was estimated that the leak began Nov. 2. and was comprised of noble gas and iodine. Repairs are underway and the NTP plant will await independent review and authorization from the National Nuclear Regulator before operation can begin again.

The semiconductor photocatalysts known in molecular imaging as "quantum dots" are now being used for something completely different: alternative energy. The nanocrystals, instead of highlighting tissues, are harnessing methanol through a process of photosynthesis. This and other research, including advances in biomedical 3D printing and oncologic iron-based MRI contrast agents are featured in a profile of new research published in the New York Academy of Sciences magazine.

Human nature being what it is, physician participation in Medicare’s Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) will likely accelerate as the agency phases incentives out and penalties in. The effect may prove especially conspicuous since the bonuses have been voluntary and modest. By contrast, the forfeitures will be automatic and, if paired with other pay-for-performance requirements, impossible to ignore.

Cocaine addiction can ruin a person physically and financially, and with an estimated 1.4 million cocaine users in the U.S., thousands will become trapped by their habit. While previous research on the drug and its addictive potential were observational and subjective, imaging is reshaping how we see addiction—and how it will be treated.

New research brings 11 new genes into focus as potential links to Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases including Parkinson's and multiple sclerosis, all associated with the build-up of protein plaques in the brain. The data was made available as a result of the international Genomics of Alzheimer's Project (IGAP), according to an Oct. 28 report by The Huffington Post.

Painful rejection and other social ills prompt the same opioid response in the brain as physical pain, according to new in vivo PET neuroimaigng of snubbed subjects. 

Sofie Biosciences, an emerging in vivo imaging diagnostics company focused on PET probes, scanners and chemistry systems,announced today that the National Institute of Health has awarded the company a grant under the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program.

At the 55th American Society for Radiation Oncology ASTRO annual meeting, Sept. 22-25 in Atlanta, Royal Philips will feature the latest innovations that address efficient and personalized radiation oncology care for patients and their clinicians.