First Human Imaging Studies with the EXPLORER Total-Body PET Scanner.

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Nuclear Medicine
• Radiochemistry

Background:

• The EXPLORER Consortium has completed the world's first total-body Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography (PET/CT) scanner.
• This scanner features a 194-cm axial field of view, capable of imaging the entire human body in a single acquisition for most adults.

Purpose of the Study:

• To report on the initial human imaging studies conducted on the EXPLORER total-body PET/CT scanner.
• To provide evidence for the capabilities of total-body PET/CT in pharmacokinetic studies and diagnostic imaging.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the EXPLORER total-body PET/CT scanner for human imaging studies.
• Employed various protocols to assess scanner performance, including pharmacokinetic studies and diagnostic imaging with low tracer doses and short acquisition times.

Main Results:

• The scanner's large field of view enables total-body pharmacokinetic studies with frame durations as short as 1 second.
• Increased sensitivity allows for whole-body 18F-FDG PET studies with high count density, improving signal-to-noise ratio.
• Demonstrated feasibility of acquiring diagnostic PET images with very low activity (≤25 MBq) and short acquisition times (≤1 minute).

Conclusions:

• The EXPLORER total-body PET/CT scanner shows significant potential for advancing pharmacokinetic and diagnostic imaging.
• Initial human studies support the scanner's capabilities for rapid, sensitive, and low-dose whole-body imaging.
• These findings lay the groundwork for future trials to quantitatively assess the benefits of total-body PET imaging.