Cyclotrons, hovering around 200 tons, are no small matter. Not only are they physically imposing and extremely complex, but investing in one can cost end-users upward of $5 million. Challenges such as these have limited the widespread use of PET imaging, especially in emerging markets.

In April, GE Healthcare announced a joint financing agreement with the Swedish company, NXT2B, to partner in the development of a next generation, compact cyclotron and PET tracer system for emerging and developing markets, as well as rural and regional hospitals.

"The need is to be able to produce a wide variety of PET tracers in an affordable manner for clinical and research use, especially in areas of the world where access to PET tracers was prohibitive," said Joanna Suan, marketing manager in the radiopharmacy division of GE's molecular imaging business.

GE is no stranger to PET cyclotron technology. For years, the company has built radiopharmaceutical production into its molecular imaging portfolio. And GE's soon-to-be developed cyclotron, the PETtrace 600, part of TRACERcenter 600, is essential to the growth of PET around the world, according to Suan.

"Hospitals which are outside of current distribution zones will be able to access PET tracers through their own production means in a cost-effective manner."

Cyclotrons produce the short-lived radioisotopes used during PET scans. The on-site chemical synthesis needed to produce the radiopharmaceuticals after radioisotope preparation helps reduce the footprint of a traditional cyclotron as well. According to GE, the PETtrace 600 will have approximately 50 percent smaller of a footprint than a traditional cyclotron.

It's also unlikely that these small-scale cyclotrons would be able to compete with traditional cyclotrons because they could never produce the volume.

"They are designed to serve one PET scanner and to do it locally. So the cyclotron will be in one room and the PET scanner not more than 50 feet away," said Don Bogutski, founder and president of Diagnostix Plus Inc.

Due to the inherent nature of the short-lived isotopes-ranging from two minutes to 109 minutes-distribution to such remote areas has not been possible until now.

Two years ago, ABT Molecular Imaging, Inc. released its Biomarker Generator as an economical, accessible, and easy-to-integrate cyclotron. And like GE's proposed PETtrace 600, both systems integrate a quality control process. According to Tom Welch, president and CEO of ABT, the Biomarker Generator has caught on quickly in emerging markets and in Western research sites. He said his company will have installed 10 units by the year's end.

"This is about providing access to people either for routine clinical studies or opportunities to advance research on PET biomarkers," said Welch. "The only folks that can focus on other PET biomarkers must have a cyclotron on-site and that's expensive and complex and requires lots of skill."

Radioisotopes produced by the cyclotron can necessitate the on-site production of others. Right now, the Biomarker Generator produces 20 millicuries of F-18. This is then synthesized into FDG, a common radiopharmaceutical for PET and PET/CT studies. Welch said they want to expand the capabilities for the Biomarker Generator with the production of C-11, which will facilitate the discovery of new biomarkers, ultimately giving patients better treatment options.

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