Faster, more accurate cancer scans with combined long-field PET and spectral CT
Innovative Scan Protocols With Combined Long Axial FOV PET and Spectral CT for Improved Quantification in Oncology
Developing combined long-field PET and spectral CT scans to shorten cancer imaging to about 20 minutes while measuring tumor blood flow and glucose use.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Pennsylvania NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Philadelphia, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11258559 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
This project will combine a long axial field-of-view PET scanner with dynamic spectral CT to capture rich timing and tissue-contrast information during one imaging session. The team will create new scanning protocols and image-processing pipelines, including deep learning methods to extract iodine maps, blood-pool signals, and perfusion measures from spectral CT. They will validate the methods using test phantoms and then apply the combined PET–CT kinetic modeling to measure blood flow and glucose metabolism in breast cancer. The overall aim is to keep scan times similar to routine clinical PET (~20 minutes) while improving quantitative accuracy and lowering patient burden.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adults with breast cancer who are scheduled for PET/CT imaging, and potentially other cancer patients who undergo PET scans for diagnosis or monitoring, would be the ideal candidates.
Not a fit: People who do not need PET/CT imaging, who are pregnant, or who cannot receive iodinated contrast or ionizing radiation would likely not benefit from participating.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, patients could have shorter, more informative PET/CT scans that better measure tumor biology to guide diagnosis and treatment decisions.
How similar studies have performed: Separate long-field PET and spectral CT approaches have shown promise, but combining dynamic spectral CT with long-field PET for joint kinetic modeling is a newer, less-tested approach.
Where this research is happening
Philadelphia, United States
- University of Pennsylvania — Philadelphia, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Karp, Joel S — University of Pennsylvania
- Study coordinator: Karp, Joel S
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.