12 Nov 24. Siemens Quadra Total Body PET installation

On 27 October the brand new Siemens Quadra Total Body PET scanner was delivered

  • Unloading of the PET scanner
  • Installation of the PET scanner
  • Close-up view of the scanner
  • Current status of the installation of the scanner

Edinburgh Imaging are delighted that the new Siemens Quadra Total Body PET has arrived and is currently undergoing installation to welcome new patients hopefully from December 2024.

The Total-Body Positron Emission Tomography (PET) facility, will capture images of patients’ entire bodies quicker, in more detail and use less radiation than existing scanners.

In combination with data from the other new scanner in London, the Scotland scanner forms part of a new National PET Imaging Platform (NPIP) which experts believe will accelerate the development of new drugs and diagnostics.

Unlocking treatments

The platform, a partnership between Medicines Discovery Catapult (MDC), the Medical Research Council (MRC) and Innovate UK, aims to advance healthcare research and clinical trials, and unlock new treatments for complex diseases like cancer as well as cardiovascular and neurological diseases.

The NPIP Scotland Total-Body PET facility will allow academics to connect to the new platform to share data and collaborate on research.

Collaborative approach

The scanners are part of a £32 million investment into the ground-breaking technology by the UK Government, through the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Infrastructure Fund.

The facility, based at the Royal Infirmary in Edinburgh, will be jointly managed by the Universities of Edinburgh and Glasgow.

NPIP’s Total-Body PET scanners have higher sensitivity than current technology and will reveal new insights into biology and disease.

Higher volume

The new scanners are also faster, exposing patients to much lower doses of radiation, meaning more patients – including children – can participate in clinical trials to improve understanding of diseases.

The speed of Total-Body PET scanners mean that NPIP will be able to facilitate more patient scans, enhancing the scale and impact of clinical research projects.

This richer picture of human health will help researchers to develop new diagnostics, improve the quality and speed of drug discovery, and bring them to market quicker to benefit patients.

NPIP’s network of infrastructure and intelligence will provide a complete picture of patients and how they respond to new drugs and treatments.

Uniquely, it will also connect insights from many research programmes and trials. In doing so, it will begin to build a rich bank of data that the PET community can access for the benefit of patients.

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