New device combines five medical imaging approaches in one system

Dutch scientists have developed a revolutionary five-in-one imaging device that provides a wide range of information about anatomy and physiological processes happening within the body.

Created by Delft University of Technology and unveiled at the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging's 2014 annual meeting, the Opti-SPECT/PET/CT system has been successfully trialled and shown its effectiveness in animal tests.

It allows allows single photon emission tomography (SPECT), positron emission tomography (PET), X-ray computed tomography (CT), fluorescence and bioluminescence imaging data to be captured in a single scan, offering considerable efficiency benefits.

Offering information on organ function, structure and real-time physiological signals, the platform could be used in new drug discovery, especially for imaging agents to be used intraoperatively for patients undergoing cancer surgery.

Dr Frederik Beekman, a professor at Delft University of Technology, explained: "This research proves that we can now obtain comprehensive data from five medical imaging systems in a single scan. It is minimally invasive and requires only a single dose of anaesthesia."

The institution is the Netherlands' largest and oldest university of technology, with around 16,500 students and 4,700 employees.