# Major Cyclotron Upgrades and Refurbishment

> **NIH NIH S10** · WEILL MEDICAL COLL OF CORNELL UNIV · 2021 · $1,562,230

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Weill Medical College of Cornell University (Weill Cornell Medicine, WCM) and Memorial Sloan-
Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) request High-End Instrumentation Grant Program support to purchase
major upgrades and a refurbishment of our 20-year-old jointly owned and operated 19 MeV cyclotron.
The cyclotron is a major component of WCM and MSK strategic investments in crucial imaging infrastructure
used to advance basic, translational and clinical research, and is a vital tool for our large and growing pool of
investigators who utilize positron emission tomography (PET) in their projects. At this point, all major
components of the cyclotron are at or beyond their end of life and are facing end-of-service status due
to lack of available parts. In some cases, the components are degraded to the point that catastrophic
failure requiring significant downtime and cost is possible in the near term. In addition, in order to
support our large and growing pool of NIH funded investigators, we require features that are not
available in our current cyclotron configuration. WCM and MSK are world leaders in biomedical research,
and our cyclotron partnership over the past 20 years has leveraged the technical expertise of both institutions
to ensure efficient radioisotope while realizing the significant benefits of cost sharing. The proposed upgrades
and refurbishment will provide us with new state-of-the-art cyclotron technology, including complete
replacement of the ion source, radiofrequency, computer control, and target assembly subsystems, that will
facilitate innovative research projects using PET over the next two decades. Successful completion of this
project will contribute significantly to our goal of understanding and treating a wide range of diseases, including
neurodegeneration, cancers, psychiatric disorders, genetic disorders, inflammatory diseases, and vascular
diseases. The cyclotron is located at the Citigroup Biomedical Imaging Center (CBIC), which is a dedicated,
comprehensive, imaging research and development facility located on the campus of the Medical College. The
CBIC operates as an imaging research Core facility that serves over 100 investigators from 12 institutions in
the greater New York area. The campus is immediately adjacent to the campus of Memorial Sloan-Kettering
Cancer Center. MSK also operates a large imaging Core facility dedicated to oncologic applications. Both
institutions have burgeoning imaging research programs with high demand for cyclotron-produced radiotracers
used in positron emission tomography (PET). The proposed upgrades and refurbishment are critical to our
mission of providing high-level, uninterrupted research support for investigators funded by the National
Institutes of Health and other sponsors on both campuses.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10177451
- **Project number:** 1S10OD030447-01
- **Recipient organization:** WEILL MEDICAL COLL OF CORNELL UNIV
- **Principal Investigator:** DOUGLAS J BALLON
- **Activity code:** S10 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $1,562,230
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-07-01 → 2023-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10177451

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10177451, Major Cyclotron Upgrades and Refurbishment (1S10OD030447-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-21 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10177451. Licensed CC0.

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