by
Brendon Nafziger, DOTmed News Associate Editor | April 12, 2010
"Different centers will take different approaches to this transition, as they did [when] going from analog to digital," Williams says.
Construction
The DMT scanner was the product of a joint effort, involving scientists and engineers from academia, industry and the government.
The University of Virginia, Dexela, a London-based device company, and the Jefferson Lab, a federal lab funded by the Department of Energy and located in Newport News, Va., all contributed to the device, Williams says.
The origins of the DMT scanner stretch back to 2000, when Williams created the first version, which combined 2D mammography with 2D molecular imaging.
About four years ago, he and his group built the first 3D tomosynthesis version of the DMT scanner, and he has been tinkering with it ever since. In 2008, he switched it for the upgraded model used in the study. Recently, he has replaced the X-ray detector with one he says is faster, reducing the scan time.
While it's going well, an obstacle in the short-term could be the ongoing shortage of the radioisotope, technetium-99m. As reported in DOTmed News, the molecular imaging industry is undergoing a crisis because two of the main nuclear reactors that create the agent are down for repairs until at least the end of the summer, if not longer.
"We're entering one of the worst periods right now, so we'll see how we do over the next few months," says Williams.
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