Particle expertise yields benefits for medicine

 However, it recently occurred to her that this technology could also be of use for PET diagnostics. The result has been a European research project involving DESY and CERN as well as three clinics. PET scanners are used, among other things, for the early diagnosis of tumours. Physicians give patients a sugar compound marked with a weakly radioactive substance. The sugar is absorbed by cancer cells, and as the radioactive substance decays it gives off light that is detected by sensors. This data then provides the basis for an image produced on a computer. “Our new sensors have the potential to help create significantly clearer PET images,” explains Garutti. “Alternatively, their sensitivity could allow for a significant decrease in the patient’s radiation exposure.” The researchers have already constructed a prototype that demonstrates that the sensors can function in this medical context. They are now working on a miniature detector that can be attached to the end of a gastric tube for the early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. Initial clinical trials are scheduled for 2014.

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