# The Super Argus PET/CT 6R for Pre-clinical Oncology Research

> **NIH NIH S10** · SLOAN-KETTERING INST CAN RESEARCH · 2024 · $1,391,522

## Abstract

7. Project Summary/Abstract
Funds are being requested to purchase a Super Argus PET/CT 6R small-animal PET (positron
emission tomography) and CT (transmission computed tomography) scanner (Scintica, Webster, TX)
to replace our Inveon microPET/microCT scanner. Importantly, Siemens Medical Solutions (the
manufacturer of the Inveon) has informed us that the support of the Inveon will end within the next 1 to 2
years (i.e., by the end of 2025), meaning that parts and service for needed repairs, software upgrades, and
applications support will very likely not be available beyond that end-of-support date. The proposed Super
Argus PET/CT 6R will be used in mouse and rat models to non-invasively and longitudinally: monitor cancer
and other disease processes; assess trafficking of cancer, immune, and stem cells; evaluate cellular
responses to investigational anti-cancer therapies and other interventions; assay genetic pathway
expression; and measure tumor targeting and biodistribution of new radiodiagnostic and radiotherapeutic
agents. Like the Inveon, the state-of-the-art Super Argus PET/CT 6R, to be installed in our existing Animal
Imaging Core Facility, will be a critical, broadly used resource for the pre-clinical and translational oncology
research program at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK). The Super Argus PET/CT 6R, as
noted, will replace the ageing Inveon, installed in 2013 and now over 10 years. With its impending end of
support, should the Inveon require service support and replacement parts, they likely will not be available and
this heavily used, mission-critical resource would be immediately and permanently disabled - a devastating
blow to our entire pre-clinical research program. Funds for a new, fully supported, higher-performance, and
more functional small-animal PET/CT system, the Super Argus PET/CT 6R, are therefore urgently requested
to maintain, enhance, and expand our PET and CT imaging capabilities. In addition to maintaining
manufacturer service and applications support, among the critical advantages of the Super Argus PET/CT 6R
over our existing, now-outdated Inveon are: (1) superior spatial resolution – 0.7 mm full-width half-maximum
(FWHM) for PET and as low as 15 µm for CT; (2) phoswich detector-based depth-of-interaction (DOI)
correction for PET and resulting constant resolution across the 120-mm transaxial field of view (FOV); (3)
high PET sensitivity - 12%; and (4) a long axial FOV - 15 cm. The Super Argus PET/CT 6R is a fully
integrated multi-modality system providing transparent registration of PET and CT studies or serving as
stand-alone PET and CT systems. In addition to numerous new and ongoing funded projects which will use
the Super Argus PET/CT 6R, our Facility and MSK have well-established technical and scientific expertise to
continue to productively utilize this instrument and an efficient administrative and solvent financial
infrastructure in place to support and maintain this instrument and its effec...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10852626
- **Project number:** 1S10OD036298-01
- **Recipient organization:** SLOAN-KETTERING INST CAN RESEARCH
- **Principal Investigator:** Hongbiao Carl Lekaye
- **Activity code:** S10 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $1,391,522
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-09-01 → 2026-08-14

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10852626

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10852626, The Super Argus PET/CT 6R for Pre-clinical Oncology Research (1S10OD036298-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10852626. Licensed CC0.

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