Aberdeen Biomedical Imaging Centre
Research Facility: Tracer Development
The main focus of the tracer development facility is the synthesis of PET tracers for both clinical and pre-clinical studies. The facility is integrated into the John Mallard Scottish PET Centre on the Foresterhill site, adjacent to the nuclear medicine and MRI departments. There is a long history of PET tracer development in Aberdeen, which started when a cyclotron that had been used in Edinburgh for an MRC radiotherapy trial was donated to the group. During the University's Quincentennial Appeal in 1995, the Hugh Fraser Foundation donated money to replace the cyclotron. An approach to the local NHS Trust resulted in a site being offered for a new PET building, which the Trust also provided funding for. We obtained a SHEFC/EPSRC Research Development Grant of 450,000 to set up and staff the tracer development facility. This facility currently contains a CTI RDS 111 cyclotron; a production area, with five shielded enclosures / hot cells, a quality control laboratory, and an aseptic dispensing area.
The facility provides an FDG production service to support the clinical PET scanner as well as providing tracers to support clinical and preclinical research and developing novel tracers.
Tracer |
Used to study |
Status |
[15O] Water |
Blood flow |
Available. |
[13N] Ammonia |
Myocardial Perfusion |
Available. |
[18F] FDG |
Glucose metabolism |
Available. |
[18F] Fluoride |
Bone metabolism |
Available. |
[11C] Choline |
Cell proliferation |
Available. |
[11C] Methionine |
Protein Synthesis/Tumour Volume |
Available. |
[18F] FAZA |
Hypoxia |
Experimental use from Nov 2010 |
[18F] RGD peptide |
Angiogenesis |
Experimental use from Jan 2011 |
[18F] FTHA |
Cardiac metabolism |
Experimental use from Nov 2011 |
Contact: Professor A Welch, Professor M Zanda or Dr L Schweiger