Molecular Imaging

Molecular imaging (also called nuclear medicine or nuclear imaging) can image the function of cells inside the body at the molecular level. This includes the imaging modalities of positron emission computed tomography (PET) and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging. How does PET and SPECT imaging work? Small amounts of radioactive material (radiopharmaceuticals) injected into a patient. These can use sugars or chemical traits to bond to specific cells. The radioactive material is taken up by cells that consume the sugars. The radiation emitted from inside the body is detected by photon detectors outside the body. Computers take the data to assemble images of the radiation emissions. Nuclear images may appear fuzzy or ghostly rather than the sharper resolution from MRI and CT.  But, it provides metabolic information at a cellular level, showing if there are defects in the function of the heart, areas of very high metabolic activity associated with cancer cells, or areas of inflammation, data not available from other modalities. These noninvasive imaging exams are used to diagnose cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, bone disorders and other disorders. 

Genomics: The future of medicine

A round up of genomics research is presented in this Telegraph anthology of recent articles from international news sources. Millions of dollars are being funneled into a project to "unlock"  DNA, personal genomics could become second nature, and challenges that have held up the science of genomics and its applications are presented.

August 11, 2014

FDA to oversee genetic and other lab tests

The FDA has announced that more than 11,000 lab-driven diagnostic tests that have never been regulated will now fall under the agency's oversight. This includes cancer screening and genetic testing, an area of research that has exploded in the past couple of decades.

August 6, 2014

IBA receives FDA approval for its proton therapy specific cone beam CT (CBCT) solution

IBA (Ion Beam Applications SA), the world's leading provider of proton therapy solutions for the treatment of cancer, announces today that it has received combined clearances from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that will enable IBA to market-launch the Proton Therapy specific Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) solution.

July 30, 2014

'Caring suites' humanize medical imaging

The University of California San Francisco is creating a magical new world of woodland forests and cable cars in a family friendly molecular imaging and radiology suite, reports SF Gate. 

July 30, 2014

Frost And Sullivan applauds Gamma Medica for improving the quality and efficiency of breast cancer diagnosis with its unique LumaGEM MBI System

Based on its recent analysis of the breast imaging systems market, Frost and Sullivan recognizes Gamma Medica with the 2014 Global Frost and Sullivan Award for Product Leadership.

July 29, 2014

Neuro study of worms is a 'brain hack'

Nematode worms are providing a very, very small window on the neural connections that we humans share. A feature in New Scientist follows the circuitous path of our knowledge about consciousness and the neural networks of the brain.

July 24, 2014

Plumbing the depths of PTSD

A feature in The New Yorker explores how Daniela Schiller, PhD, from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine’s Brain Imaging Core in New York City, has approached a kind of memory erasure for people who have suffered greatly from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with the aid of cutting-edge neuroimaging.

July 22, 2014

Proton detectors for better therapy

A cutting-edge detector developed by researchers in the United Kingdom and South Africa stands to spark more effective proton therapy for cancer patients.

July 16, 2014