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"Instant" 3D body scanner will transform medicine
Svetlana Maslova, Hi-tech+
The revolutionary scanner is an advanced combination of two main diagnostic tools – positron emission and computed tomography. Scientists claim that the capabilities of the device are limitless.
Scientists from the University of California at Davis (USA) have presented the first 3D scanner that gets a three-dimensional picture of the entire human body in a few seconds. The device called EXPLORER was developed jointly with the Shanghai-based company United Imaging Healthcare, according to the university's website.
The device combines the functions of PET and CT, but is much more effective than them, the authors claim.
EXPLORER gives the result 40 times faster than standard positron emission tomography – it takes 20-30 seconds to scan the whole body.
"The level of detail of EXPLORER is incredible. Scanning allows you to see characteristics that were previously unavailable to doctors. Now there is not a single analogue in the world that would provide such data," says developer Ramsi Badawi.
In addition, the radiation dose compared to PET is 40 times lower, which allows multiple examinations for one patient and opens up new opportunities for the treatment of children.
For the first time, doctors have the opportunity to assess what is happening in all organs and tissues at the same time. This is the main prerequisite for the widespread use of the device. The team plans to use EXPLORER for cancer research, whose metastases have spread beyond the primary tumor, to diagnose inflammation, infections, immunological and metabolic diseases, etc.
Over time, additional tools for EXPLORER should appear. They will track the movement of medicines through the body, which will allow to adapt the treatment in response to the reaction of the body in real time.
Scientists are confident that the development will have a huge impact on both practical diagnostics and clinical research. The team hopes that in June 2019 EXPLORER will be used for the first clinical trials.
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