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To better diagnose and treat all kinds of medical conditions, researchers and doctors are continually working on new tests and technologies. One of these new technologies is an entire body scanner called Explorer, which is the world's first medical imaging scanner capable of simultaneously capturing a 3D image of the entire human body. The first scans of the device have been made public and are incredibly detailed.
Explorer combines Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and X-ray Computed Tomography (CT) in one device. The design of the machine allows it to capture radiation much more effectively than other scanners. The increase in radiation capture means that the camera can produce an image in just one second.
With more time, Explorer can produce movies that can track specially labeled drugs as they move through the body. The new diagnostic tool has applications to improve diagnostics and monitor the course of a disease over time. The development of the scanner was carried out in partnership with United Imaging Healthcare based in Shanghai; this company will eventually build the scanners and make them available on the health market. The scanner itself was invented by scientists Simon Cherry and Ramsey Badawi of UC Davis.
Cherry said that he had imagined what the scans would look like, but that he was not prepared for the "incredible detail" available. Scientists say that the images produced allowed them to see body features that you do not see on normal PET images.
The scanner development was funded by a $ 1.5 million grant from the National Cancer Institute in 2011, followed by a $ 15.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health in 2015. The scanner scans 40 times faster than current PET scanners and can produce a diagnostic scan. of the whole body in 20-30 seconds while giving patients 40 times less radiation than a current PET-scan.
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