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Muller FM, Vervenne B, Maebe J, Blankemeyer E, Sellmyer MA, Zhou R, Karp JS, Vanhove C, Vandenberghe S. Image Denoising of Low-Dose PET Mouse Scans with Deep Learning: Validation Study for Preclinical Imaging Applicability. Mol Imaging Biol 2024; 26:101-113. [PMID: 37875748 DOI: 10.1007/s11307-023-01866-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2023] [Revised: 10/09/2023] [Accepted: 10/12/2023] [Indexed: 10/26/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Positron emission tomography (PET) image quality can be improved by higher injected activity and/or longer acquisition time, but both may often not be practical in preclinical imaging. Common preclinical radioactive doses (10 MBq) have been shown to cause deterministic changes in biological pathways. Reducing the injected tracer activity and/or shortening the scan time inevitably results in low-count acquisitions which poses a challenge because of the inherent noise introduction. We present an image-based deep learning (DL) framework for denoising lower count micro-PET images. PROCEDURES For 36 mice, a 15-min [18F]FDG (8.15 ± 1.34 MBq) PET scan was acquired at 40 min post-injection on the Molecubes β-CUBE (in list mode). The 15-min acquisition (high-count) was parsed into smaller time fractions of 7.50, 3.75, 1.50, and 0.75 min to emulate images reconstructed at 50, 25, 10, and 5% of the full counts, respectively. A 2D U-Net was trained with mean-squared-error loss on 28 high-low count image pairs. RESULTS The DL algorithms were visually and quantitatively compared to spatial and edge-preserving denoising filters; the DL-based methods effectively removed image noise and recovered image details much better while keeping quantitative (SUV) accuracy. The largest improvement in image quality was seen in the images reconstructed with 10 and 5% of the counts (equivalent to sub-1 MBq or sub-1 min mouse imaging). The DL-based denoising framework was also successfully applied on the NEMA-NU4 phantom and different tracer studies ([18F]PSMA, [18F]FAPI, and [68 Ga]FAPI). CONCLUSION Visual and quantitative results support the superior performance and robustness in image denoising of the implemented DL models for low statistics micro-PET. This offers much more flexibility in optimizing preclinical, longitudinal imaging protocols with reduced tracer doses or shorter durations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florence M Muller
- Medical Image and Signal Processing (MEDISIP), Department of Electronics and Information Systems, Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Ghent University, 9000, Ghent, Belgium.
- Department of Radiology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA19104, USA.
| | - Boris Vervenne
- Medical Image and Signal Processing (MEDISIP), Department of Electronics and Information Systems, Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Ghent University, 9000, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Jens Maebe
- Medical Image and Signal Processing (MEDISIP), Department of Electronics and Information Systems, Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Ghent University, 9000, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Eric Blankemeyer
- Department of Radiology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA19104, USA
| | - Mark A Sellmyer
- Department of Radiology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA19104, USA
| | - Rong Zhou
- Department of Radiology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA19104, USA
| | - Joel S Karp
- Department of Radiology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA19104, USA
| | - Christian Vanhove
- Medical Image and Signal Processing (MEDISIP), Department of Electronics and Information Systems, Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Ghent University, 9000, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Stefaan Vandenberghe
- Medical Image and Signal Processing (MEDISIP), Department of Electronics and Information Systems, Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Ghent University, 9000, Ghent, Belgium
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Shimochi S, Ihalainen J, Parikka V, Kudomi N, Tolvanen T, Hietanen A, Kokkomäki E, Johansson S, Tsuji M, Kanaya S, Yatkin E, Grönroos TJ, Iida H. Small animal PET with spontaneous inhalation of 15O-labelled oxygen gases: Longitudinal assessment of cerebral oxygen metabolism in a rat model of neonatal hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab 2023:271678X231220691. [PMID: 38112197 DOI: 10.1177/0271678x231220691] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2023]
Abstract
Perinatal hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE) is the leading cause of irreversible brain damage resulting in serious neurological dysfunction among neonates. We evaluated the feasibility of positron emission tomography (PET) methodology with 15O-labelled gases without intravenous or tracheal cannulation for assessing temporal changes in cerebral blood flow (CBF) and cerebral metabolic rate for oxygen (CMRO2) in a neonatal HIE rat model. Sequential PET scans with spontaneous inhalation of 15O-gases mixed with isoflurane were performed over 14 days after the hypoxic-ischaemic insult in HIE pups and age-matched controls. CBF and CMRO2 in the injured hemispheres of HIE pups remarkably decreased 2 days after the insult, gradually recovering over 14 days in line with their increase found in healthy controls according to their natural maturation process. The magnitude of hemispheric tissue loss histologically measured after the last PET scan was significantly correlated with the decreases in CBF and CMRO2.This fully non-invasive imaging strategy may be useful for monitoring damage progression in neonatal HIE and for evaluating potential therapeutic outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saeka Shimochi
- Turku PET Centre, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
- MediCity Research Laboratory, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
- Nara Institute of Science and Technology, Ikoma City, Japan
| | - Jukka Ihalainen
- Turku PET Centre, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
- Department of Medical Physics, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland
- Accelerator Laboratory, Turku PET Centre, Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland
| | - Vilhelmiina Parikka
- Turku PET Centre, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
- MediCity Research Laboratory, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
- Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland
- InFLAMES Research Flagship Center, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Nobuyuki Kudomi
- Department of Medical Physics, Faculty of Medicine, Kagawa University, Kagawa, Japan
| | - Tuula Tolvanen
- Turku PET Centre, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
- Department of Medical Physics, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland
| | - Ari Hietanen
- Turku PET Centre, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Esa Kokkomäki
- Turku PET Centre, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Stefan Johansson
- Accelerator Laboratory, Turku PET Centre, Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland
| | - Masahiro Tsuji
- Department of Food and Nutrition, Kyoto Women's University, Kyoto, Japan
| | | | - Emrah Yatkin
- Central Animal Laboratory, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Tove J Grönroos
- Turku PET Centre, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
- MediCity Research Laboratory, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Hidehiro Iida
- Turku PET Centre, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
- Nara Institute of Science and Technology, Ikoma City, Japan
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3
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Akamatsu G, Tsutsui Y, Daisaki H, Mitsumoto K, Baba S, Sasaki M. A review of harmonization strategies for quantitative PET. Ann Nucl Med 2023; 37:71-88. [PMID: 36607466 PMCID: PMC9902332 DOI: 10.1007/s12149-022-01820-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2022] [Accepted: 12/27/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
PET can reveal in vivo biological processes at the molecular level. PET-derived quantitative values have been used as a surrogate marker for clinical decision-making in numerous clinical studies and trials. However, quantitative values in PET are variable depending on technical, biological, and physical factors. The variability may have a significant impact on a study outcome. Appropriate scanner calibration and quality control, standardization of imaging protocols, and any necessary harmonization strategies are essential to make use of PET as a biomarker with low bias and variability. This review summarizes benefits, limitations, and remaining challenges for harmonization of quantitative PET, including whole-body PET in oncology, brain PET in neurology, PET/MR, and non-18F PET imaging. This review is expected to facilitate harmonization of quantitative PET and to promote the contribution of PET-derived biomarkers to research and development in medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Go Akamatsu
- Department of Advanced Nuclear Medicine Sciences, Institute for Quantum Medical Sciences, National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology (QST), 4-9-1 Anagawa, Inage-ku, Chiba, 263-8555, Japan. .,Department of Molecular Imaging Research, Kobe City Medical Center General Hospital, 2-1-1 Minatojima-minamimachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo, 650-0047, Japan.
| | - Yuji Tsutsui
- Department of Radiological Science, Faculty of Health Science, Junshin Gakuen University, 1-1-1 Chikushigaoka, Minami-ku, Fukuoka, 815-8510 Japan
| | - Hiromitsu Daisaki
- Department of Radiological Technology, Gunma Prefectural College of Health Sciences, 323-1 Kamioki-machi, Maebashi, Gunma 371-0052 Japan
| | - Katsuhiko Mitsumoto
- Department of Clinical Radiology Service, Kyoto University Hospital, 54 Shogoin-Kawaharacho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8507 Japan
| | - Shingo Baba
- Department of Clinical Radiology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, 3-1-1, Maidashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka, 812-8582 Japan
| | - Masayuki Sasaki
- Department of Medical Quantum Science, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, 3-1-1, Maidashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka, 812-8582 Japan
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Kitade M, Nakajima H, Tsujikawa T, Noriki S, Mori T, Kiyono Y, Okazawa H, Matsumine A. Evaluation of (R)-[(11)C]PK11195 PET/MRI for Spinal Cord-Related Neuropathic Pain in Patients with Cervical Spinal Disorders. J Clin Med 2022; 12. [PMID: 36614916 DOI: 10.3390/jcm12010116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2022] [Revised: 12/19/2022] [Accepted: 12/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Activated microglia are involved in secondary injury after acute spinal cord injury (SCI) and in development of spinal cord-related neuropathic pain (NeP). The aim of the study was to assess expression of translocator protein 18 kDa (TSPO) as an indicator of microglial activation and to investigate visualization of the dynamics of activated microglia in the injured spinal cord using PET imaging with (R)-[11C]PK11195, a specific ligand for TSPO. In SCI chimeric animal models, TSPO was expressed mainly in activated microglia. Accumulation of (R)-[3H]PK11195 was confirmed in autoradiography and its dynamics in the injured spinal cord were visualized by (R)-[11C]PK11195 PET imaging in the acute phase after SCI. In clinical application of (R)-[11C]PK11195 PET/MRI of the cervical spinal cord in patients with NeP related to cervical disorders, uptake was found in cases up to 10 months after injury or surgery. No uptake could be visualized in the injured spinal cord in patients with chronic NeP at more than 1 year after injury or surgery, regardless of the degree of NeP. However, a positive correlation was found between standardized uptake value ratio and the severity of NeP, suggesting the potential of clinical application for objective evaluation of chronic NeP.
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Gavriilidis P, Koole M, Annunziata S, Mottaghy FM, Wierts R. Positron Range Corrections and Denoising Techniques for Gallium-68 PET Imaging: A Literature Review. Diagnostics (Basel) 2022; 12:2335. [PMID: 36292023 PMCID: PMC9600409 DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics12102335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2022] [Revised: 09/12/2022] [Accepted: 09/16/2022] [Indexed: 10/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Gallium-68 (68Ga) is characterized by relatively high positron energy compared to Fluorine-18 (18F), causing substantial image quality degradation. Furthermore, the presence of statistical noise can further degrade image quality. The aim of this literature review is to identify the recently developed positron range correction techniques for 68Ga, as well as noise reduction methods to enhance the image quality of low count 68Ga PET imaging. The search engines PubMed and Scopus were employed, and we limited our research to published results from January 2010 until 1 August 2022. Positron range correction was achieved by using either deblurring or deep learning approaches. The proposed techniques improved the image quality and, in some cases, achieved an image quality comparable to 18F PET. However, none of these techniques was validated in clinical studies. PET denoising for 68Ga-labeled radiotracers was reported using either reconstruction-based techniques or deep learning approaches. It was demonstrated that both approaches can substantially enhance the image quality by reducing the noise levels of low count 68Ga PET imaging. The combination of 68Ga-specific positron range correction techniques and image denoising approaches may enable the application of low-count, high-quality 68Ga PET imaging in a clinical setting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Prodromos Gavriilidis
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Maastricht University Medical Center, 6229 HX Maastricht, The Netherlands
- School for Oncology and Reproduction (GROW), Maastricht University, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands
- Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Michel Koole
- Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Salvatore Annunziata
- Unit of Nuclear Medicine, TracerGLab, Department of Radiology, Radiotherapy and Hematology, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy
| | - Felix M. Mottaghy
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Maastricht University Medical Center, 6229 HX Maastricht, The Netherlands
- School for Oncology and Reproduction (GROW), Maastricht University, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, RWTH University Hospital, D-52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - Roel Wierts
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Maastricht University Medical Center, 6229 HX Maastricht, The Netherlands
- School for Oncology and Reproduction (GROW), Maastricht University, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands
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Braune A, Oehme L, Freudenberg R, Hofheinz F, van den Hoff J, Kotzerke J, Hoberück S. Comparison of image quality and spatial resolution between 18F, 68Ga, and 64Cu phantom measurements using a digital Biograph Vision PET/CT. EJNMMI Phys 2022; 9:58. [PMID: 36064989 PMCID: PMC9445107 DOI: 10.1186/s40658-022-00487-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2022] [Accepted: 08/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND PET nuclides can have a considerable influence on the spatial resolution and image quality of PET/CT scans, which can influence diagnostics in oncology, for example. The individual impact of the positron energy of 18F, 68Ga, and 64Cu on spatial resolution and image quality was compared for PET/CT scans acquired using a clinical, digital scanner. METHODS A Jaszczak phantom and a NEMA PET body phantom were filled with 18F-FDG, 68Ga-HCl, or 64Cu-HCl, and PET/CT scans were performed on a Siemens Biograph Vision. Acquired images were analyzed regarding spatial resolution and image quality (recovery coefficients (RC), coefficient of variation within the background, contrast recovery coefficient (CRC), contrast-noise ratio (CNR), and relative count error in the lung insert). Data were compared between scans with different nuclides. RESULTS We found that image quality was comparable between 18F-FDG and 64Cu-HCl PET/CT measurements featuring similar maximal endpoint energies of the positrons. In comparison, RC, CRC, and CNR were degraded in 68Ga-HCl data despite similar count rates. In particular, the two smallest spheres of 10 mm and 13 mm diameter revealed lower RC, CRC, and CNR values. The spatial resolution was similar between 18F-FDG and 64Cu-HCl but up to 18% and 23% worse compared with PET/CT images of the NEMA PET body phantom filled with 68Ga-HCl. CONCLUSIONS The positron energy of the PET nuclide influences the spatial resolution and image quality of a digital PET/CT scan. The image quality and spatial resolution of 68Ga-HCl PET/CT images were worse than those of 18F-FDG or 64Cu-HCl despite similar count rates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anja Braune
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus at the Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.
| | - Liane Oehme
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus at the Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Robert Freudenberg
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus at the Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Frank Hofheinz
- PET Center, Institute of Radiopharmaceutical Cancer Research, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Dresden, Germany
| | - Jörg van den Hoff
- PET Center, Institute of Radiopharmaceutical Cancer Research, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Dresden, Germany
| | - Jörg Kotzerke
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus at the Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.,PET Center, Institute of Radiopharmaceutical Cancer Research, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Dresden, Germany.,Department of Nuclear Medicine, Medizinische Fakultat Carl Gustav Carus, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus at the Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Sebastian Hoberück
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus at the Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.,Department of Nuclear Medicine, Helios Klinikum Erfurt, Erfurt, Germany
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Shimochi S, Keller T, Kujala E, Khabbal J, Rajander J, Löyttyniemi E, Solin O, Nuutila P, Kanaya S, Yatkin E, Grönroos TJ, Iida H. Evaluation of [ 18F]F-DPA PET for Detecting Microglial Activation in the Spinal Cord of a Rat Model of Neuropathic Pain. Mol Imaging Biol 2022; 24:641-650. [PMID: 35303205 PMCID: PMC9296394 DOI: 10.1007/s11307-022-01713-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2021] [Revised: 02/15/2022] [Accepted: 02/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022]
Abstract
Purpose Recent studies have linked activated spinal glia to neuropathic pain. Here, using a positron emission tomography (PET) scanner with high spatial resolution and sensitivity, we evaluated the feasibility and sensitivity of N,N-diethyl-2-(2-(4-([18F]fluoro)phenyl)-5,7-dimethylpyrazolo[1,5-a] pyrimidin-3-yl)acetamide ([18F]F-DPA) imaging for detecting spinal cord microglial activation after partial sciatic nerve ligation (PSNL) in rats. Procedures Neuropathic pain was induced in rats (n = 20) by PSNL, and pain sensation tests were conducted before surgery and 3 and 7 days post-injury. On day 7, in vivo PET imaging and ex vivo autoradiography were performed using [18F]F-DPA or [11C]PK11195. Ex vivo biodistribution and PET imaging of the removed spinal cord were carried out with [18F]F-DPA. Sham-operated and PK11195-pretreated animals were also examined. Results Mechanical allodynia was confirmed in the PSNL rats from day 3 through day 7. Ex vivo autoradiography showed a higher lesion-to-background uptake with [18F]F-DPA compared with [11C]PK11195. Ex vivo PET imaging of the removed spinal cord showed [18F]F-DPA accumulation in the inflammation site, which was immunohistochemically confirmed to coincide with microglia activation. Pretreatment with PK11195 eliminated the uptake. The SUV values of in vivo [18F]F-DPA and [11C]PK11195 PET were not significantly increased in the lesion compared with the reference region, and were fivefold higher than the values obtained from the ex vivo data. Ex vivo biodistribution revealed a twofold higher [18F]F-DPA uptake in the vertebral body compared to that seen in the bone from the skull. Conclusions [18F]F-DPA aided visualization of the spinal cord inflammation site in PSNL rats on ex vivo autoradiography and was superior to [11C]PK11195. In vivo [18F]F-DPA PET did not allow for visualization of tracer accumulation even using a high-spatial-resolution PET scanner. The main reason for this result was due to insufficient SUVs in the spinal cord region as compared with the background noise, in addition to a spillover from the vertebral body.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saeka Shimochi
- Turku PET Centre, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.,Medicity Research Laboratory, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.,Nara Institute of Science and Technology, Ikoma City, Japan
| | - Thomas Keller
- Turku PET Centre, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Ella Kujala
- Central Animal Laboratory, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Joonas Khabbal
- Central Animal Laboratory, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Johan Rajander
- Accelerator Laboratory, Turku PET Centre, Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland
| | | | - Olof Solin
- Turku PET Centre, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.,Accelerator Laboratory, Turku PET Centre, Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland
| | - Pirjo Nuutila
- Turku PET Centre, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | | | - Emrah Yatkin
- Central Animal Laboratory, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Tove J Grönroos
- Turku PET Centre, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.,Medicity Research Laboratory, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Hidehiro Iida
- Turku PET Centre, University of Turku, Turku, Finland. .,Nara Institute of Science and Technology, Ikoma City, Japan. .,Turku PET Centre, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland.
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Antonecchia E, Bäcker M, Cafolla D, Ciardiello M, Kühl C, Pagnani G, Wang J, Wang S, Zhou F, D'Ascenzo N, Gialanella L, Pisante M, Rose G, Xie Q. Design Study of a Novel Positron Emission Tomography System for Plant Imaging. Front Plant Sci 2022; 12:736221. [PMID: 35116047 PMCID: PMC8805640 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.736221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2021] [Accepted: 12/06/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Positron Emission Tomography is a non-disruptive and high-sensitive digital imaging technique which allows to measure in-vivo and non invasively the changes of metabolic and transport mechanisms in plants. When it comes to the early assessment of stress-induced alterations of plant functions, plant PET has the potential of a major breakthrough. The development of dedicated plant PET systems faces a series of technological and experimental difficulties, which make conventional clinical and preclinical PET systems not fully suitable to agronomy. First, the functional and metabolic mechanisms of plants depend on environmental conditions, which can be controlled during the experiment if the scanner is transported into the growing chamber. Second, plants need to be imaged vertically, thus requiring a proper Field Of View. Third, the transverse Field of View needs to adapt to the different plant shapes, according to the species and the experimental protocols. In this paper, we perform a simulation study, proposing a novel design of dedicated plant PET scanners specifically conceived to address these agronomic issues. We estimate their expected sensitivity, count rate performance and spatial resolution, and we identify these specific features, which need to be investigated when realizing a plant PET scanner. Finally, we propose a novel approach to the measurement and verification of the performance of plant PET systems, including the design of dedicated plant phantoms, in order to provide a standard evaluation procedure for this emerging digital imaging agronomic technology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emanuele Antonecchia
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
- Istituto Neurologico Mediterraneo, NEUROMED I.R.C.C.S, Pozzilli, Italy
| | - Markus Bäcker
- Institute for Medical Engineering and Research Campus STIMULATE, University of Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Daniele Cafolla
- Istituto Neurologico Mediterraneo, NEUROMED I.R.C.C.S, Pozzilli, Italy
| | | | - Charlotte Kühl
- Institute for Medical Engineering and Research Campus STIMULATE, University of Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Giancarlo Pagnani
- Faculty of Bioscience and Technology for Food, Agriculture and Environment, University of Teramo, Teramo, Italy
| | - Jiale Wang
- School of Information and Communication Engineering, University of Electronics Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
- Yangtze Delta Region Institute of University of Science and Technology of China, Quzhou, China
| | - Shuai Wang
- School of Information and Communication Engineering, University of Electronics Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
- Yangtze Delta Region Institute of University of Science and Technology of China, Quzhou, China
| | - Feng Zhou
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Nicola D'Ascenzo
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
- Istituto Neurologico Mediterraneo, NEUROMED I.R.C.C.S, Pozzilli, Italy
| | - Lucio Gialanella
- Department of Mathematics and Physics, University of Campania L. Vanvitelli, Caserta, Italy
| | - Michele Pisante
- Faculty of Bioscience and Technology for Food, Agriculture and Environment, University of Teramo, Teramo, Italy
| | - Georg Rose
- Institute for Medical Engineering and Research Campus STIMULATE, University of Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Qingguo Xie
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
- Istituto Neurologico Mediterraneo, NEUROMED I.R.C.C.S, Pozzilli, Italy
- Department of Electronic Engineering and Information Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
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9
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Yang CC. Compensating Positron Range Effects of Ga-68 in Preclinical PET Imaging by Using Convolutional Neural Network: A Monte Carlo Simulation Study. Diagnostics (Basel) 2021; 11:2275. [PMID: 34943511 DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics11122275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2021] [Revised: 11/11/2021] [Accepted: 12/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
This study aimed to investigate the feasibility of positron range correction based on three different convolutional neural network (CNN) models in preclinical PET imaging of Ga-68. The first model (CNN1) was originally designed for super-resolution recovery, while the second model (CNN2) and the third model (CNN3) were originally designed for pseudo CT synthesis from MRI. A preclinical PET scanner and 30 phantom configurations were modeled in Monte Carlo simulations, where each phantom configuration was simulated twice, once for Ga-68 (CNN input images) and once for back-to-back 511-keV gamma rays (CNN output images) with a 20 min emission scan duration. The Euclidean distance was used as the loss function to minimize the difference between CNN input and output images. According to our results, CNN3 outperformed CNN1 and CNN2 qualitatively and quantitatively. With regard to qualitative observation, it was found that boundaries in Ga-68 images became sharper after correction. As for quantitative analysis, the recovery coefficient (RC) and spill-over ratio (SOR) were increased after correction, while no substantial increase in coefficient of variation of RC (CVRC) or coefficient of variation of SOR (CVSOR) was observed. Overall, CNN3 should be a good candidate architecture for positron range correction in Ga-68 preclinical PET imaging.
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Miner MWG, Liljenbäck H, Virta J, Helin S, Eskola O, Elo P, Teuho J, Seppälä K, Oikonen V, Yang G, Kindler-Röhrborn A, Minn H, Li XG, Roivainen A. Comparison of: (2 S,4 R)-4-[ 18F]Fluoroglutamine, [ 11C]Methionine, and 2-Deoxy-2-[ 18F]Fluoro- D-Glucose and Two Small-Animal PET/CT Systems Imaging Rat Gliomas. Front Oncol 2021; 11:730358. [PMID: 34692505 PMCID: PMC8530378 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2021.730358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2021] [Accepted: 09/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose The three positron emission tomography (PET) imaging compounds: (2S,4R)-4-[18F]Fluoroglutamine ([18F]FGln), L-[methyl-11C]Methionine ([11C]Met), and 2-deoxy-2-[18F]fluoro-D-glucose ([18F]FDG) were investigated to contrast their ability to image orthotopic BT4C gliomas in BDIX rats. Two separate small animal imaging systems were compared for their tumor detection potential. Dynamic acquisition of [18F]FGln was evaluated with multiple pharmacokinetic models for future quantitative comparison. Procedures Up to four imaging studies were performed on each orthotopically grafted BT4C glioma-bearing BDIX rat subject (n = 16) on four consecutive days. First, a DOTAREM® contrast enhanced MRI followed by attenuation correction CT and dynamic PET imaging with each radiopharmaceutical (20 min [11C]Met, 60 min [18F]FDG, and 60 min [18F]FGln with either the Molecubes PET/CT (n = 5) or Inveon PET/CT cameras (n = 11). Ex vivo brain autoradiography was completed for each radiopharmaceutical and [18F]FGln pharmacokinetics were studied by injecting 40 MBq into healthy BDIX rats (n = 10) and collecting blood samples between 5 and 60 min. Erythrocyte uptake, plasma protein binding and plasma parent-fraction were combined to estimate the total blood bioavailability of [18F]FGln over time. The corrected PET-image blood data was then applied to multiple pharmacokinetic models. Results Average BT4C tumor-to-healthy brain tissue uptake ratios (TBR) for PET images reached maxima of: [18F]FGln TBR: 1.99 ± 0.19 (n = 13), [18F]FDG TBR: 1.41 ± 0.11 (n = 6), and [11C]Met TBR: 1.08 ± 0.08, (n = 12) for the dynamic PET images. Pharmacokinetic modeling in dynamic [18F]FGln studies suggested both reversible and irreversible uptake play a similar role. Imaging with Inveon and Molecubes yielded similar end-result ratios with insignificant differences (p > 0.25). Conclusions In orthotopic BT4C gliomas, [18F]FGln may offer improved imaging versus [11C]Met and [18F]FDG. No significant difference in normalized end-result data was found between the Inveon and Molecubes camera systems. Kinetic modelling of [18F]FGln uptake suggests that both reversible and irreversible uptake play an important role in BDIX rat pharmacokinetics.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Heidi Liljenbäck
- Turku PET Centre, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.,Turku Center for Disease Modeling, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Jenni Virta
- Turku PET Centre, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Semi Helin
- Turku PET Centre, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Olli Eskola
- Turku PET Centre, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Petri Elo
- Turku PET Centre, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Jarmo Teuho
- Turku PET Centre, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland
| | - Kerttu Seppälä
- Turku PET Centre, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland
| | - Vesa Oikonen
- Turku PET Centre, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Guangli Yang
- Organic Synthesis Core Facility, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, United States
| | - Andrea Kindler-Röhrborn
- Institute of Pathology, University Hospital of Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Heikki Minn
- Turku PET Centre, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.,Department of Oncology and Radiotherapy, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland
| | - Xiang-Guo Li
- Turku PET Centre, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.,InFLAMES Research Flagship Center, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Anne Roivainen
- Turku PET Centre, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.,Turku Center for Disease Modeling, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.,Turku PET Centre, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland.,InFLAMES Research Flagship Center, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
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11
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Nobashi TW, Mayer AT, Xiao Z, Chan CT, Chaney AM, James ML, Gambhir SS. Whole-body PET Imaging of T-cell Response to Glioblastoma. Clin Cancer Res 2021; 27:6445-6456. [PMID: 34548318 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-21-1412] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2021] [Revised: 06/30/2021] [Accepted: 09/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Immunotherapy is a promising approach for many oncological malignancies, including glioblastoma, however, there are currently no available tools or biomarkers to accurately assess whole-body immune responses in patients with glioblastoma treated with immunotherapy. Here, the utility of OX40, a costimulatory molecule mainly expressed on activated effector T cells known to play an important role in eliminating cancer cells, was evaluated as a PET imaging biomarker to quantify and track response to immunotherapy. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN A subcutaneous vaccination approach of CpG oligodeoxynucleotide, OX40 mAb, and tumor lysate at a remote site in a murine orthotopic glioma model was developed to induce activation of T cells distantly while monitoring their distribution in stimulated lymphoid organs with respect to observed therapeutic effects. To detect OX40-positive T cells, we utilized our in-house-developed 89Zr-DFO-OX40 mAb and in vivo PET/CT imaging. RESULTS ImmunoPET with 89Zr-DFO-OX40 mAb revealed strong OX40-positive responses with high specificity, not only in the nearest lymph node from vaccinated area (mean, 20.8%ID/cc) but also in the spleen (16.7%ID/cc) and the tumor draining lymph node (11.4%ID/cc). When the tumor was small (<106 p/sec/cm2/sr in bioluminescence imaging), a high number of responders and percentage shrinkage in tumor signal was indicated after only a single cycle of vaccination. CONCLUSIONS The results highlight the promise of clinically translating cancer vaccination as a potential glioma therapy, as well as the benefits of monitoring efficacy of these treatments using immunoPET imaging of T-cell activation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomomi W Nobashi
- Department of Radiology, Stanford University, Stanford, California.
| | - Aaron T Mayer
- Department of Radiology, Stanford University, Stanford, California. .,Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California.,Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford (MIPS), Stanford University, Stanford, California.,Bio-X Program at Stanford, Stanford University, Stanford, California
| | - Zunyu Xiao
- Department of Radiology, Stanford University, Stanford, California.,Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford (MIPS), Stanford University, Stanford, California.,Molecular Imaging Research Center of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
| | - Carmel T Chan
- Department of Radiology, Stanford University, Stanford, California.,Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford (MIPS), Stanford University, Stanford, California
| | - Aisling M Chaney
- Department of Radiology, Stanford University, Stanford, California.,Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford (MIPS), Stanford University, Stanford, California
| | - Michelle L James
- Department of Radiology, Stanford University, Stanford, California.,Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford (MIPS), Stanford University, Stanford, California
| | - Sanjiv S Gambhir
- Department of Radiology, Stanford University, Stanford, California.,Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California.,Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford (MIPS), Stanford University, Stanford, California.,Bio-X Program at Stanford, Stanford University, Stanford, California.,Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California.,Canary Center at Stanford, Stanford University, Stanford, California
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12
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Chomet M, Schreurs M, Vos R, Verlaan M, Kooijman EJ, Poot AJ, Boellaard R, Windhorst AD, van Dongen GA, Vugts DJ, Huisman MC, Beaino W. Performance of nanoScan PET/CT and PET/MR for quantitative imaging of 18F and 89Zr as compared with ex vivo biodistribution in tumor-bearing mice. EJNMMI Res 2021; 11:57. [PMID: 34117946 PMCID: PMC8197690 DOI: 10.1186/s13550-021-00799-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2021] [Accepted: 06/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The assessment of ex vivo biodistribution is the preferred method for quantification of radiotracers biodistribution in preclinical models, but is not in line with current ethics on animal research. PET imaging allows for noninvasive longitudinal evaluation of tracer distribution in the same animals, but systemic comparison with ex vivo biodistribution is lacking. Our aim was to evaluate the potential of preclinical PET imaging for accurate tracer quantification, especially in tumor models. METHODS NEMA NU 4-2008 phantoms were filled with 11C, 68Ga, 18F, or 89Zr solutions and scanned in Mediso nanoPET/CT and PET/MR scanners until decay. N87 tumor-bearing mice were i.v. injected with either [18F]FDG (~ 14 MBq), kept 50 min under anesthesia followed by imaging for 20 min, or with [89Zr]Zr-DFO-NCS-trastuzumab (~ 5 MBq) and imaged 3 days post-injection for 45 min. After PET acquisition, animals were killed and organs of interest were collected and measured in a γ-counter to determine tracer uptake levels. PET data were reconstructed using TeraTomo reconstruction algorithm with attenuation and scatter correction and regions of interest were drawn using Vivoquant software. PET imaging and ex vivo biodistribution were compared using Bland-Altman plots. RESULTS In phantoms, the highest recovery coefficient, thus the smallest partial volume effect, was obtained with 18F for both PET/CT and PET/MR. Recovery was slightly lower for 11C and 89Zr, while the lowest recovery was obtained with 68Ga in both scanners. In vivo, tumor uptake of the 18F- or 89Zr-labeled tracer proved to be similar irrespective whether quantified by either PET/CT and PET/MR or ex vivo biodistribution with average PET/ex vivo ratios of 0.8-0.9 and a deviation of 10% or less. Both methods appeared less congruent in the quantification of tracer uptake in healthy organs such as brain, kidney, and liver, and depended on the organ evaluated and the radionuclide used. CONCLUSIONS Our study suggests that PET quantification of 18F- and 89Zr-labeled tracers is reliable for the evaluation of tumor uptake in preclinical models and a valuable alternative technique for ex vivo biodistribution. However, PET and ex vivo quantification require fully described experimental and analytical procedures for reliability and reproducibility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marion Chomet
- Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Radiology & Nuclear Medicine, Cancer Center Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1117, Amsterdam 1081 HV, The Netherlands
| | - Maxime Schreurs
- Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Radiology & Nuclear Medicine, Cancer Center Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1117, Amsterdam 1081 HV, The Netherlands
| | - Ricardo Vos
- Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Radiology & Nuclear Medicine, Cancer Center Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1117, Amsterdam 1081 HV, The Netherlands
| | - Mariska Verlaan
- Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Radiology & Nuclear Medicine, Cancer Center Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1117, Amsterdam 1081 HV, The Netherlands
| | - Esther J Kooijman
- Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Radiology & Nuclear Medicine, Cancer Center Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1117, Amsterdam 1081 HV, The Netherlands
| | - Alex J Poot
- Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Radiology & Nuclear Medicine, Cancer Center Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1117, Amsterdam 1081 HV, The Netherlands
| | - Ronald Boellaard
- Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Radiology & Nuclear Medicine, Cancer Center Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1117, Amsterdam 1081 HV, The Netherlands
| | - Albert D Windhorst
- Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Radiology & Nuclear Medicine, Cancer Center Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1117, Amsterdam 1081 HV, The Netherlands
| | - Guus Ams van Dongen
- Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Radiology & Nuclear Medicine, Cancer Center Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1117, Amsterdam 1081 HV, The Netherlands
| | - Danielle J Vugts
- Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Radiology & Nuclear Medicine, Cancer Center Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1117, Amsterdam 1081 HV, The Netherlands
| | - Marc C Huisman
- Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Radiology & Nuclear Medicine, Cancer Center Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1117, Amsterdam 1081 HV, The Netherlands
| | - Wissam Beaino
- Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Radiology & Nuclear Medicine, Cancer Center Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1117, Amsterdam 1081 HV, The Netherlands.
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