Clinical Radiology

Yale University Positron Emission Tomography Center (PET Center)

Faculty
Richard E. Carson, PhD, Professor and Lead Physicist
Director of Yale PET Center
Yu-Shin Ding, PhD, Professor, Lead Radiochemist, Co-director of Yale PET Center
James J. Frost, MD, PhD, Professor
Henry Huang, PhD, Associate Professor

General Information

The research mission of the Nuclear Medicine Division is being greatly advanced through the formation of the Yale University Positron Emission Tomography Center (PET Center). The Center is being formed to advance the interests of Yale clinicians, scientists and students in molecular imaging. The Center exists in approximately 17,000 sq. ft. of renovated and newly constructed spaced on Howard Avenue in New Haven. The PET Center will grow over time to a group of about 45 clinician scientists, basic scientists, technicians and students. While the primary focus of the PET Center is to conduct scientific research in humans and experimental animals, some imaging for clinical patient management will be conducted; the majority of clinical imaging will be performed in the Yale New Haven Hospital using PET-CT scanners. The Yale PET Center has 2 scanners: a CTI HR+ and a HRRT scanner. There is also space for a dedicated animal PET scanner.

The Yale PET Center is a state-of-the-art radiochemistry facility that permits the development and use of a complete line of PET radiopharmaceuticals labeled with the most common PET isotopes: 11C, 15O, 13N, and 18F. Mini hot cells and automated radiochemistry modules ensure that the needs of all investigators are met, while minimizing radiation exposure to the chemistry staff.

Another important section of the Center is the PET physics and data analysis group. This group oversees the operation of the PET scanners, develops new methods to optimize data acquisition and analysis, and runs an image analysis laboratory that offers investigators computer workstations with image analysis software applications for their data analysis.

The biological evaluation of molecular tracers is another important aspect of the Center. Accordingly, a biology group comprised of pharmacologists, molecular biologists, technical staff and students design new radiotracers, evaluate and validate them as in vivo agents, and participate in developing modeling methods to quantify their in vivo biodistribution.

It is anticipated that the PET Center has developed scientific collaborations with many School of Medicine departments and their members, but will also create ties to basic science departments in the wider Yale University community in order to advance basic imaging science research and participate in the education of doctoral and postdoctoral trainees. Finally, the Yale PET Center will be involved in collaborations with industry partners in order to advance the use of molecular imaging in new medication discovery and development, and to bring forth new diagnostic PET radiopharmaceuticals.