UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH THE

This funded grant application provides funds for a Siemens Eclipse HP Cyclotron in support of a highly successful positron emission tomography (PET) imaging research program that has been operational at the University of Pittsburgh since 1992. This research program has an impressive record of publication and achieving translational research successes. The Eclipse HP will replace a legacy Siemens RDS-112 cyclotron, installed in 1992, which has been declared end-of-life by the manufacturer and retains only limited serviceability. The cyclotron is a key piece of equipment for any PET research program as the radionuclides used in a majority of the included project summaries have short half-lives that necessitate on-site production. Failure of the RDS-112 would represent a significant and detrimental interruption to ongoing NIH sponsored research. In addition to providing a critical upgrade to existing infrastructure, several features of the Eclipse HP system will significantly enhance the PET research program. The deep-valley design of the Eclipse HP electromagnets provides improved beam transmission, reduced levels of internal activation, and higher production yields, while the single-coil magnet design drastically reduces power consumption. A further advantage of the proposed Eclipse HP configuration is the use of dual 4-position target carousels for a total of eight targets. The current RDS-112 system has four fixed beamlines, each with only one stationary target thus limiting target utilization. The increased number of targets in the proposed Eclipse HP configuration as well as flexibility in dual target irradiation will represent a dramatic improvement in radionuclide production capacity. The requested equipment accessories, which include a remote automated gas-phase system for the production of [11C]methyl iodode and incorporation platforms for both carbon-11 and fluorine-18, will allow us to realize the maximum efficiencies of the new cyclotron by enabling quick turnaround times for serial radiopharmaceutical productions. Realizing these efficiencies is of paramount importance as the RDS-112 presently supplies radiopharmaceuticals for two human Siemens HR+ PET scanners and two preclinical microPET scanners. The 19 major and 3 minor user projects described in this proposal will benefit from the siting of a modern and currently supported cyclotron that will maintain the radiopharmaceutical production capabilities of the PET Facility for the foreseeable future. In addition, the increased radionuclide production capacity of the Eclipse HP will allow existing PET scanners to be more completely utilized, resulting in a greater output of studies, and will support continued expansion of the scope of PET imaging research conducted at the institution.

Clarification of Codes