About Shimadzu

Molecular imaging has been greatly looked forward to as a means to make ultra-early diagnosis and treatment of disease or tailor-made medical treatment a reality. Shimadzu has developed a new molecular imaging system and now proudly announces the release of its first product on April 13, a PET (positron emission tomography) system for laboratory animals (named Clairvivo PET). This system uses a 3-dimensional radiation detector to offer both high sensitivity and high resolution, making it possible to efficiently collect useful data with excellent quantitative characteristics during a short period of measurement, approximately half that of conventional systems. Since this system allows changes in laboratory animals to be measured over time in vivo, this system will be particularly useful for basic research of biological phenomena on a molecular level, or in the field of drug discovery, to evaluate pharmacokinetics, drug efficacy, and other items.

Measuring Laboratory Animals Using a PET Scanner

The animal used in the experiment is administered a drug agent containing radioisotopes, and the gamma rays emitted from these isotopes are captured and visualized by a PET scanner. This PET system for laboratory animals, which allows ongoing evaluations of live animals in experiments, has drawn particular interest from basic research fields, such as for the study of genetically modified animal models, and from drug discovery fields, where determining the pharmacokinetics or efficacy of a new drug being developed at an earlier stage is expected to shorten the drug's development period and help reduce development costs. As a result, the Japanese market for such laboratory animal PET systems is expected to grow and is estimated to double in size by 2010.

The New Clairvivo PET System

The new Clairvivo PET features a state-of-the-art 3-dimensional radiation detector that offers both high sensitivity and high resolution. The detection unit includes a scintillator that converts gamma rays to an optical signal and a photomultiplier that then converts the optical signal to an electrical signal. The scintillator utilizes elements with high light emission levels and short light attenuation times. Furthermore, these elements are configured in 2 layers to allow the capturing of accurate position data in the depth direction. This 2-layer configuration also allows moving the detector closer to the animal for high-proximity, high-resolution imaging without degradation.
A high degree of quantitative characteristics requires the obtaining of highly precise data. Therefore, data is collected that is then used to correct for the absorption of gamma rays within the body, whereas this new PET system utilizes a dedicated external 137Cs isotope (cesium) radiation source to correct for absorption, which allows efficient correction of absorption and results in shorter measurement times.

Shimadzu’s Involvement in Molecular Imaging and Future Plans

Molecular imaging is noninvasive technology that obtains biological information about cancer or other conditions at the molecular or cellular level via administration of an imaging agent (molecular probe) to the patient, that forms a characteristic bond with indicators of the cancer or other condition, and then uses imaging equipment to create an image of the molecular probe's distribution throughout the patient.
Shimadzu has been engaged in joint fundamental research with research institutions in Japan, in the search for characteristic markers of cancers and the development of molecular probes, in addition to the development of molecular imaging equipment. This laboratory animal PET system is the first imaging system of its kind offered commercially by Shimadzu, and has been released in the Japanese market. We believe that it will fulfill an important role in the fields of basic research and drug discovery. Furthermore, based on the fact that these markets are projected to grow, Shimadzu will continue to introduce additional products, such as laboratory animal PET/CT systems and fluorescence imaging systems, and will continue to search for disease markers, to develop molecular probes and imaging equipment, to support the continued progress and growth of the molecular imaging field, and to contribute to the advancement of next-generation medicine.

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