14 November 2023
The aim of the RETIMAGER project, in which the Institute of Natural Sciences and Medicine (NM-4) is involved, is to develop a system for molecular imaging that achieves significantly improved spatial and temporal resolution compared to current PET devices. RETIMAGER stands for Real Time Molecular Imager with Unsurpassed Resolution and is funded by the European Union as part of the European Innovation Council's Pathfinder Open Programme. Universities and research institutions from Spain and France are also involved.
RETIMAGER aims to achieve an unprecedented increase in PET sensitivity for in vivo imaging with submillimetre resolution. It will be combined with powerful data processing and machine learning to image and assess both blood flow and metabolism in the organ under investigation with a single tracer in preclinical and clinical models. Thanks to its sensitivity, a lower tracer dose is required, making RETIMAGER a less invasive molecular imaging technology. Moreover, RETIMAGER is expected to improve the understanding of various disease processes and help to identify new and more precise image-based quantitative biomarkers, which could potentially pave the way for greater individualisation of medicine.
With their expertise in PET applications and methods, the Jülich scientists are helping to develop algorithms for precise motion correction and to determine the radioactivity dissolved in arterial blood using PET images in real-time.
