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. 

AAIC 2014 convenes in Copenhagen

The Alzheimer's Association International Conference is schedule to be held July 12-17 at the Bella Center in Copenhagen, Denmark. The meeting will feature many scientific sessions, plenary sessions and symposia dedicated to the most up-to-date Alzheimer's disease research.

July 11, 2014

Patients at Henry Ford Wyandotte now receive half-dose nuclear medicine imaging

UltraSpect, provider of the only multi-vendor and most cost-effective imaging solution for meeting the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology (ASNC) low dose guidelines, announces today that Henry Ford Wyandotte Hospital in Michigan has upgraded its nuclear medicine (NM) image reconstruction software to UltraSpect Xpress3.Cardiac. As a result, all patients receiving NM exams now have exams in half the time, with half the dose, regardless of the model or age of camera being used.

July 11, 2014

International Academy of Cardiology Annual Scientific Sessions 2014

The 19th world congress on heart disease organized by the International Academy of Cardiology will be covering the cutting edge of cardiovascular research, including molecular and cellular cardiology, from July 25-28 at the Hyatt Regency Boston.

June 25, 2014

Lantheus Holdings announces filing of registration statement for proposed initial public offering

Lantheus Holdings, parent company to Lantheus Medical Imaging, a global leader in developing, manufacturing, selling and distributing innovative diagnostic imaging agents, announced today that it has filed a registration statement on Form S-1 with the Securities and Exchange Commission relating to a proposed initial public offering of its common stock. Lantheus Holdings intends to apply to list its common stock on the NASDAQ Global under the ticker symbol "LNTH." The number of shares to be offered and the price range of the proposed offering have not yet been determined. Lantheus Holdings expects to use the net proceeds of the offering to repay indebtedness of LMI and for working capital and general corporate purposes.

June 25, 2014

ASTRO and AAPM announce RO-ILS: Radiation Oncology Incident Learning System (RO-ILS)

Together, the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) and the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) will share details about RO-ILS: Radiation Oncology Incident Learning System, a new, national patient safety initiative to facilitate safer and higher quality radiation oncology care.

June 18, 2014

Personalized care from disease detection through treatment assessment enabled with GE Healthcare’s Discovery IQ

During the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) Annual Meeting, GE Healthcare introduced its Discovery IQ PET/CT system, enabling both outstanding image quality and intelligent quantitation, helping physicians deliver the best possible patient outcomes.

June 18, 2014

FDA approves Lymphoseek to help determine the extent of head and neck cancer in the body

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved a new use for Lymphoseek (technetium 99m tilmanocept) Injection, a radioactive diagnostic imaging agent used to help doctors determine the extent a type of cancer called squamous cell carcinoma has spread in the body’s head and neck region.

June 14, 2014

GE Healthcare Launches Interactive Patient Profiler for AdreView (Iobenguane I 123 Injection)

The Interactive Patient Profiler for AdreView is a simulation tool designed to help educate physicians on the use of AdreView (Iobenguane I 123 Injection) to assess mortality risk in patients with heart failure. The tool demonstrates the types of patients where the use of AdreView can provide further information to assist physicians in identifying patients who may have a lower one- and two-year mortality risk, among groups of patients with similar profiles based on other clinical information.

June 14, 2014