# Translation of virtual-pinhole magnifying PET technology to clinical whole-body cancer imaging

> **NIH NIH R01** · WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $512,098

## Abstract

Project Summary / Abstract
FDG whole-body PET/CT imaging is a proven technique for the detection of primary and metastatic cancers. It
is highly accurate and valuate for cancer staging, re-staging, and monitoring response to therapy for many types
of cancers. Despite its success and broad clinical utility, there remains an unmet clinical challenge for the
detection of small metastatic cancers that are much smaller than 1 cm. FDG PET/CT has been shown to have
limited sensitivity for the detection of such small lesions, in some cases less than 50% of the time.
We have developed a novel imaging technology called virtual-pinhole magnifying PET technology that can
improve the image resolution of clinical PET/CT scanner to enhance its image resolution and to provide zoom-
in images without compromising its body imaging capability. While this is a unique capability, it has not been
adopted for clinical whole-body cancer imaging because the location of distant metastasis is often unknown.
Therefore, one would not have prior knowledge on where to zoom-in during a whole-body imaging protocol. If
on the other hand, one needs to scan the entire body first and then chooses a region of high uncertainty to zoom-
in; this technology will require a two-step protocol which will significantly slow down clinical workflow.
In this project, we formed a bi-directional partnership between the Washington University School of Medicine
(WUSM) and Siemens Molecular Imaging (Siemens MI, Knoxville, TN) to overcome this specific limitation and
translate an otherwise novel imaging technology to be suitable for clinical utility. We will jointly develop and
validate the Augmented Whole-body Scanning via Magnifying PET (AWSM-PET) technology that will enhance
the native image resolution of a PET scanner and is fully compatible with clinical whole-body cancer imaging
applications. The added device will not slowdown clinical workflow because the magnifying PET data will be
acquired simultaneously with the standard PET data when a patient undergoes a whole-body PET/CT scan. In
addition to the standard (native) PET/CT images, AWSM-PET will provide a second set of PET images with
higher resolution and counting statistics without additional scan time. This information-rich second data set is
expected to further improve the diagnostic accuracy of whole-body PET/CT imaging for the detection of
metastatic cancer.
Upon completion of this project, we will have developed and validated a new capability that can improve the
image resolution and counting statistics of a clinical whole-body PET/CT scanner. If the results of the initial
human imaging trial show improvement in diagnostic sensitivity for metastatic cancer detection using a whole-
body PET/CT equipped with the AWSM-PET technology, we will seek additional funding to conduct a multi-
center clinical trial to fully quantify the improvement in diagnostic accuracy by AWSM-PET technology for the
detection of metastatic cancers. The success ...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10051311
- **Project number:** 5R01CA233912-03
- **Recipient organization:** WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** YUAN-CHUAN TAI
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $512,098
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-12-04 → 2023-11-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10051311

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10051311, Translation of virtual-pinhole magnifying PET technology to clinical whole-body cancer imaging (5R01CA233912-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10051311. Licensed CC0.

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