Aberdeen Biomedical Imaging Centre
Research Facility: PET (Positron Emision Tomography)
There is a long track record in positron emission tomography (PET) at Aberdeen, the potential clinical importance of this having been emphasised in Professor John Mallard’s Inaugural Lecture in 1965. From an initial start, in an old farm building near one the hospitals, using a second hand scanner and donated cyclotron, the John Mallard Scottish Pet Centre has grown to encompass both clinical and pre-clinical PET.
Clinical PET
The clinical PET scanner (a GE Discovery STe PET/CT) is located in a purpose built facility, adjacent to the tracer development facility, nuclear medicine and MRI units. The scanner, which replaced a CTI/Siemens ECAT EXACT-31 scanner (owned and operated by the university since 1996) was purchased by the Scottish Executive Health Department (NHS – Scotland) as part of a plan to increase access to PET for NHS patients. The scanner is operated by the nuclear medicine department, but with dedicated research sessions.
Pre-Clinical PET
The pre-clinical PET scanner (a GE eXplore Vista PET/CT) is located in the Medical Research Facility. The scanner is used for a range of pre-clinical and translational studies.
Contact: Professor A Welch