In vitro drug trials could get a boost from a micrometer-small molecular imaging system that captures cells and tests their response to a miniscule flood of radiopharmaceuticals, according to a study published Aug. 26 in the Journal of Nuclear Medicine.

At least 14 new molecular imaging agents are being groomed for clinical use, with approval of three major radiotracers expected by 2016, according to an Aug. 2013 GlobalData report entitled “The Future of Molecular Imaging.”

FDG PET/CT imaging prior to osteosarcoma surgery and chemotherapy may be able to provide a clearer picture of patient risk and prognosis, according to a study published Aug. 15 in the Journal of Nuclear Medicine.

The neuromodulator adenosine and its interaction with a receptor known as A2A are being implicated in a range of brain diseases, including Parkinson’s and Huntington’s, as well as a spate of psychiatric disorders. A novel SPECT agent has been found to successfully shine a spotlight on this relationship, according to research published Aug. 22 in the Journal of Nuclear Medicine.

Researchers are forever seeking to outsmart therapy-resistant cancers. "No Through Road," a feature published Aug. 5 in Cancer Today, a publication of the American Association for Cancer Research, highlights just this quest.

When Peoria, Illinois-based OSF HealthCare transitioned from analog to digital imaging, one aspect of the radiology continuum proved challenging: quality assurance. “We had a fairly robust, paper-based QA process when we were film and paper,” recalls Tom Cox, director of radiology at OSF Saint Francis Medical Center (SFMC). “When we went to PACS and went paperless, however, we virtually stopped getting feedback from the radiologists on quality. We knew we needed something to replace the paper process.”

Radiologists and hospital administrators are finding common ground when it comes to one significant conundrum, according to Richard Duszak, MD, CEO of the ACR’s Harvey Neiman Health Policy Institute. “We are moving from a system where we got paid for doing procedures to one where we will get paid for taking care of patients,” Duszak said in a presentation at the 2013 conference of AHRA: The Association for Medical Imaging Management, held July 28-31 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. “The big word is value, and it’s going to be a real challenge for physicians and hospital administrators.”

Siemens Healthcare has launched its new Biograph mCT Flow – a groundbreaking PET-CT system. For the first time ever the system overcomes the limitations of conventional bed-based PET-CT with FlowMotion, an innovative new technology that moves the patient smoothly through the system’s gantry, while continuously acquiring PET data.