Dear Molecular Imaging Insider,
Over the past decade, PET imaging has emerged as a key tool offering invaluable insights into Alzheimer's disease. To that end, this edition's Insider Exclusive focuses on a specific area of Alzheimer's research, the development of the disease in individuals with Down syndrome.
Researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison performed FDG-PET exams on a group of individuals with Down syndrome to gain additional insight into why they are more susceptible to Alzheimer's and to better understand when symptoms might begin. Our story by contributing editor Wayne Forrest is available to you as a Molecular Imaging Insider before it's available to the rest of the AuntMinnie.com membership.
That article was from the recently concluded annual meeting of the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI), as was a new story we published today on the use of radiomics with semiautomated software to predict outcomes in patients with non-small cell lung cancer.
In another study presented at SNMMI 2020, researchers from Johns Hopkins University trained a deep 3D convolutional neural network to analyze prostate lesions and predict their categorization. And a group from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center discussed their work on new radiopharmaceuticals to target prostate-specific membrane antigens.
Other coverage of SNMMI 2020 included the following:
- A new, relatively long-lived PET tracer that can safely and effectively image patients with glioblastoma
- An imaging technique that combines F-18 FDG PET and MRI to pinpoint the origins of chronic pain
- A PET radiotracer that could one day help clinicians evaluate the recovery of stroke patients
- A study by a group of German researchers on PET of older adults that received Image of the Year honors
Finally, it was with much sorrow that we reported last week on the death of Dr. Sanjiv Sam Gambhir, the chair of the radiology department at Stanford University. Dr. Gambhir was a major pioneer in molecular imaging and a mentor to many young researchers. He will be missed terribly.
