University of Alabama Selects Advanced CAT-scan Tool to Investigate Breathing Disorders

The University of Alabama at Birmingham’s cystic fibrosis (CF) research center has chosen a Dutch company’s advanced X-ray CAT-scan system to help it conduct animal research in CF, pulmonary fibrosis (PF), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and sinonasal conditions.

Utrecht-based MILabs’  U-CTUHR microCT system will provide researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s (UAB’s) Gregory Fleming James Cystic Fibrosis Research Center with what the company says will be superior imaging resolution and tissue accessibility.

The system was designed to cover research in a variety and sizes of animals. It offers a range of applications — from rapid high-resolution, low-dose imaging of bones, tissues and lungs, to high-precision dual-gated cardiac and pulmonary analysis.

Dr. Frederik J. Beekman, the CEO of MILabs, said a key feature of the U-CTUHR system is its ability to be upgraded to perform molecular CT scanning, also known as computerized tomography or CAT scans. “We are glad that such scalability has been a significant factor in UAB’s selection of the U-CTUHR system,” he said.

Beekman also heads the Radiation, Detection and Medical Imaging section at TU Delft University in Delft, the oldest and largest university of technology in the Netherlands. MILabs is a 2006 spin-off from the University Medical Center Utrecht.

MILabs’ high-end molecular-imaging systems for biomedical and pharmaceutical research contribute to the development worldwide of new diagnostic techniques and therapies for diseases such as diabetes, cancer, and cardiac and neurodegenerative disorders.

MILabs recently combined two of its key technologies into one system. One is its Positron Emission Tomography (PET) technology, the other its Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) technology.

The melding allows researchers to see simultaneous images of two tracers at tiny resolutions. A tracer is a radioactive molecule that is sent through the circulatory or urinary system. A radiation-sensitive machine is used to follow its progress.

MILabs enhanced its multi-parameter imaging technology by introducing Adaptive X-ray CT and Hybrid Optical imaging systems in 2016.

For more information, visit www.milabs.com.

Sources:
MILabs B.V.
The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB)
Delft University