[Triumf-seminars] TRIUMF Seminar today at 14:00

[postmaster at admin.triumf.ca]

Date/Time: Mon 2010-01-25 at 14:00

Location:  Auditorium          

Speaker:   Freek Beekman (Technical University of Delft)

Title:     Sub-half-mm Resolution Single Photon Emission Tomography of Molecules and Organs in Action.

Abstract: Pivotal questions in pharmacology and biology concern how function of localized cells relates to disease. For example in experimental neuroscience we have dreamt about a magnifying glass that would allow us to see neurotransmitters in action, in cardiovascular research about a system that would provide us simultaneously with myocardial anatomy, mechanical function and cell function, and in cancer research to see detailed dynamic distributions of pharmaceuticals and markers, in small animals serving as models for human disease. Such studies have been limited by the availability of methods to study such molecular dynamics. A Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography system called U-SPECT has been developed in The Netherlands. It can quantify tracer dynamics in <0.35mm structures e.g. in murine brain, heart and tumors. 

U-SPECT uses sophisticated focusing pinhole geometries together with unique 3D focusing technology and list mode data acquisition. Novel reconstruction methods that enable to enhance resolution are applied, accelerated by pixel-based block iterative update schemes.

Examples include imaging the density and occupancy of dopamine transporters in sub-compartments of the brain, sub-half-mm resolution dynamic myocardial perfusion imaging or imaging of tumor markers and anti-cancer agents (e.g. antibodies) in micro-metastasis, all during a range of points in time. Applied to different models of disease this will aid our understanding of dynamic processes that underlie tissue functions and human pathology. New sub-half-mm resolution U-SPECT-II and U-SPECT/CT images and movies with sub-minute resolution will be shown. 

An overview of the U-SPECT-II technology will be given as well as current research at my lab Delft University of Technology, where novel collimation, reconstruction and detector technologies for next generations SPECT are currently under development. 


Stimulants available 15 minutes before the talk.

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