# State-of-the-Art PET/CT Instrumentation

> **NIH NIH S10** · YALE UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $2,000,000

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
State-of-the-Art PET/CT Instrumentation
Yale University PET Center
The goal of this shared instrumentation proposal is to maintain and expand the capabilities of the Yale
Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Center by the acquisition of a state-of-the-art PET/CT scanner for
human research studies. PET imaging provides a non-invasive method to detect and examine
biochemical processes and physiological functions in the living body. Through the use of specific
radiolabeled molecules, state-of-the-art scanning equipment, and the techniques of tracer kinetic
modeling, quantitative measurements of a wide range of physiological functions can be assessed in
clinical and pre-clinical populations. PET has broad applications in the areas of oncology, cardiology,
neurosciences, metabolic disorders, inflammation, and others. The goal of this proposal is to leverage
the Yale PET Center’s expertise in radiochemistry and quantitative PET imaging by replacing an end-of-
life PET-only System with a state-of-the-art PET/CT system for human research studies. We have
chosen the proposed PET/CT system with exceptional time-of-flight capabilities, high sensitivity and
resolution, and excellent performance in terms of quantitative accuracy and count rate performance.
When these PET instrumentation characteristics are combined with a CT scanner with excellent axial
sampling and high speed, the system can provide ideal characteristics for PET/CT research studies of
Yale investigators. The need for state-of-the-art PET/CT is self-evident for oncology research which
requires simultaneous anatomical localization of tracer uptake. The need for combined PET/CT is of
even greater importance in research studies using novel radiopharmaceuticals. The interpretation of the
spatial localization of a new tracer, where normal uptake patterns are unknown, cannot be performed
without high resolution anatomical data. In addition, the proposed high-end PET/CT will be of even
greater utility when sophisticated multimodality image analysis techniques are employed, including
image-based measurement of tracer input function, and corrections for cardiac and respiratory motion
artifacts. The proposed system will support over 25 NIH-funded investigators in the Departments of
Cardiology, Internal Medicine, Medical Oncology, Neurology, Psychiatry, and Radiology and Biomedical
Imaging, all of whom are currently conducting PET imaging research with NIH-funded grants. Many of
these investigators have established track records of PET imaging and are expected to continue and
expand their PET usage in the future. Further, the additional capabilities and capacity provided by the
new system will support the development of PET imaging studies by new investigators. Enhanced
utilization of novel radiopharmaceuticals and PET/CT imaging will lead to a better understanding of
biochemical processes, which in turn will lead to the development of new, or improved treatments.
Together, these ...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9938878
- **Project number:** 1S10OD026810-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** YALE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Richard E. Carson
- **Activity code:** S10 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $2,000,000
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-09-17 → 2022-09-16

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9938878

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9938878, State-of-the-Art PET/CT Instrumentation (1S10OD026810-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9938878. Licensed CC0.

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