4th Mediterranean Thematic Workshop in Advanced Molecular Imaging
4th Mediterranean Thematic Workshop in Advanced Molecular Imaging has been held on the beautiful island of Corsica, Ajaccio Bay, May 1-5, 2016.
Personalized Medicine is in the process of marking a paradigm shift in medical imaging. The key motivation is to deliver the correct treatment to a particular patient at the right time with highest precision. New imaging technologies and methods for precision imaging are key to this and were in the focus of the discussions of this week-long event.
Dr. Sergey Vinogradov, Senior Marie Curie Fellow in the QUASAR Group, was invited to join the MEDAMI community and present his new approach on combined bimodal gamma imaging developed in continuation of his R&D on time resolution and fast timing applications of SiPM technology. He presented a talk on the “feasibility of in-beam time-of-flight SPECT/PET gamma imaging based on Silicon Photomultipliers for high precision hadrontherapy”. The intention is to tests this new approach at a specific accelerator facility and plans are now being discussed with international collaboration partners.
MEDAMI participants, Ajaccio Bay, May 5, 2016.
In case the identified issues can all be solved, TOF SPECT/PET seems to be a good starting point for an initiative on dedicated medical accelerators with inexpensive, efficient and precise in vivo imaging systems that would enable the development of a new generation of inexpensive, reliable and compact hadron treatment facilities. This approach is perfectly aligned with the FAST COST initiative toward 10 ps time resolution of gamma detection events, which has been identified as a breakthrough project for Europe in medical physics.
Futher information: http://www.e-smi.eu/fileadmin/testdir2/ESMI/Events/2016/Medami2016.pdf
[1] (Fast Advanced Scintillator Timing (FAST) is a trans-domain action in a framework of European Cooperation in the field of Scientific and Technical Research (COST).