The core of the TRIUMF nuclear medicine program is PET imaging, a technique whereby tiny amounts of radioactive nuclei known as radioisotopes are combined with certain biomolecules and injected into the body. The biomolecules can be “traced” by imaging the decay products (two photons produced by the decay of the radioactive nucleus via the emission of a positron) outside the body. PET allows the concentration of positron-labeled compounds to be determined quantitatively in space and time within the living body. PET is more sensitive than any other human imaging method, such as MRI or CT, and has now become the “gold standard” for the detection of cancer.
The nuclear medicine facilities that support the research program can be segmented into two major portions, those associated with production of the scanning agents—cyclotron and hot cells—and the scanning instruments themselves. TRIUMF's partners have four PET scanners for use with different types of research.
The PET program facilities at TRIUMF include cyclotron systems for the production of radioisotopes and chemistry labs for the synthesis of radiopharmaceuticals. TRIUMF currently uses the TR-13 cyclotron and target systems for the production of ¹⁸F, ¹¹C, and ¹³N. Radiopharmaceutical production facilities include the small modular clean room at the cyclotron for the synthesis of FDG for BCCA as well as three chemistry annex labs for production and development of radiopharmaceuticals used in brain research and other programs at UBC. In addition, another lab room has equipment to carry out quality control tests on all PET radiopharmaceuticals used in humans and animals.
The small clean room area located beside the cyclotron contains a lead shielded hot cell, which houses a commercial GE, FDG synthesis module, and a laminar fume hood. Most of the radiopharmaceutical production and development is carried out in the two labs, each containing one lead shielded hot cell and a total of ten fume hoods and other instrumentation and chemistry apparatus. Synthesis units housed inside the two hot cells were designed and built in-house. The third lab contains the pneumatic send station that is located at the TRIUMF end of the 2.5-km line used to transport the radiopharmaceuticals to the UBC Hospital.
TRIUMF and UBC have developed a joint program with the Pacific Parkinson’s Research Centre (PPRC) that is committed to the study of central nervous system disorders. Approximately 80% of the studies are related to Parkinson’s disease (PD), and the remainder are related to mood disorders and Alzheimer’s disease. In addition to shared equipment and methodology, this joint approach fosters a greater collaboration between the disciplines and permits researchers to explore problems of major importance, such as depression in PD, in more effective ways. The program has a long record of exploring the origins, progression, and therapies of the disease as well as the complications arising from therapy using molecular imaging as the primary tool.
The Functional Imaging Program at the BCCA is a collaboration among the agency, TRIUMF, UBC, and the BC Children’s Hospital. Capital acquired through the BC Provincial Health Services Authority Emerging Technologies Fund allowed purchase of the province’s first hybrid PET/CT scanner in 2004. The clinical PET/CT program, located at BCCA’s Vancouver Centre, was enabled by TRIUMF supplying ¹⁸F, the positron emitting radionuclide used in production of ¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG). FDG, as a marker of glucose metabolism, is the tracer used in oncologic PET imaging, a diagnostic study which has become a standard of care in the management of many cancer types.
TRIUMF : Canada's National Laboratory for Particle and Nuclear Physics
