Medical Imaging

Physicians utilize medical imaging to see inside the body to diagnose and treat patients. This includes computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), X-ray, ultrasound, fluoroscopy, angiography,  and the nuclear imaging modalities of PET and SPECT. 

Lilly grabs Siemens’ tau tracers

Eli Lilly and Company has acquired a pair of PET tracers from Siemens. The investigational tracers are designed to target the tau deposits that are the hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease. Avid Radiopharmaceuticals, Lilly’s wholly owned subsidiary, will develop and validate the tracers, according to Lilly.

Lilly Acquires Novel Tau Tangle Diagnostic Program to Bolster Alzheimer's Disease Research and Development

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) today announced it has acquired two investigational positron emission tomography (PET) tracers from Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc. The tracers are intended to image tau (or neurofibrillary) tangles in the brain, one of two known hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease. Based on studies of samples obtained at autopsy, the amount and location of tau tangles in an Alzheimer's disease patient's brain is thought to correlate with the severity of the disease. There are currently no approved diagnostics to detect tau tangles in living patients, creating challenges for scientists working to understand the progression of the disease and how therapies may impact it.

Add it up: Quantifying myocardial perfusion reserve w/ SPECT viable

Researchers are developing a method of quantitative myocardial perfusion imaging that analyzes myocardial perfusion reserve using SPECT with advanced cadmium zinc telluride crystal detectors to unlock extent of coronary artery disease, according to a study published April 11 by The Journal of Nuclear Medicine.

Developments in genomics and molecular diagnosis: A snapshot

Bioinformatics technology has launched a revolution in DNA sequencing. Genetics experts are highlighting a range of genomics research by metagenomic analysis, genetic expressions in certain cancers and in infectious disease, according to a series of studies published in the April edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Aiming for the ideal: Standardizing cancer FDG PET/CT imaging

Now that hybrid PET/CT systems are thoroughly mainstream, standardization of practice has moved into the spotlight. A thorough F-18 FDG PET/CT oncological report should include much more than just what meets the eye, according to the authors of a comprehensive review published in the May issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine.

Novel fluorine amyloid imaging agent good as gold (standard)

Amyloid imaging is now promising earlier Alzheimer’s disease diagnoses and potential anti-amyloid therapies in the not-too-distant future. The radiotracer C-11 Pittsburgh compound-B (C-11 PiB) has been proven effective for amyloid PET imaging and has outperformed many F-18 bound biomarkers, but the radiotracer F-18 NAV4694 is showing a binding pattern that nearly mirrors that of C-11 PiB with all the logistical perks of a fluorine-based agent, according to research being published in the June edition of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine.

PERCIST bests EORTC for monitoring response to therapy

PET Response Criteria in Solid Tumors (PERCIST) provides similar outcomes to the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) criteria for quantifying response to anticancer treatment using PET/CT, but PERCIST may provide a clearer protocol conducive for widespread adoption, according to a review of the two models published in the April edition of the Journal of Nuclear Medicine.

Medicare MRI Use Declined from 2008 to 2010

A study in the JACR finds that after increasing sharply for 10 years, the use of MRI for Medicare patients began to decline four years ago