Known as the Total-Body Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scanner, the upcoming use of it within the facility aims to boost clinical research and improve the detection, diagnosis, and treatment of complex diseases.

The scanner, which is part of a £32 million investment from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) into the innovative technology, will be used to capture images of patients’ entire bodies more quickly, in more detail, and use less radiation compared to existing scanners.

In contrast to current technology, the Total-Body PET scanner can capture higher-calibre images of a patient’s entire body in real-time. It can also scan faster, thereby exposing patients to lower doses of radiation, meaning more patients can participate in the clinical trials.

Alongside the other new scanner in London, the Scottish scanner forms part of a new National PET Imaging Platform (NPIP), which is a partnership between Innovate UK, the Medicines Discovery Catapult (MDC), the Medical Research Council (MRC).

The platform aims to further advance healthcare research through data sharing and collaboration, helping to foster new treatments for involuted diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular and neurological diseases.

The NPIP Scotland Total-Body PET facility is due to be operational in 2024, and will be jointly managed by the Universities of Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Speaking on the scanner’s capabilities, Dr David Lewis from the University of Glasgow, and co-director of the NPIP Scotland Centre, said: “Total-Body PET scanners are a quantum leap forward in the technology of body scanning, and we are proud that a partnership between the University of Edinburgh and the University of Glasgow will jointly manage one of the first of these cutting-edge scanners in the UK.

“The Scotland Total-Body PET scanner will be a catalyst for innovative new research and cross-sector collaboration, ultimately benefitting patients by improving our understanding of complex diseases.”

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Dr Juliana Maynard, the director of operations and engagement for the National PET Imaging Platform, and head of translational imaging at Medicines Discovery Catapult, also commented: “PET scanning is nothing short of transformational for patients who need it the most.

“Total-Body PET scanners can detect serious diseases with unprecedented speed and accuracy. NPIP will allow the kind of collaboration in imaging research the likes of which the UK has never seen before.

“It means that, collectively, we can power forward drug discovery with renewed confidence and drive world-leading capabilities in detection, diagnosis, and treatment.”