Facilities
The Division is extremely well resourced in terms of equipment and facilities.
Our clinical imaging equipment includes two PET/CT scanners (supported by a cyclotron and GMP radiosynthesis laboratories), several SPECT and SPECT/CT scanners (supported by a radiopharmacy laboratory), and dedicated 1.5T and 3T MRI scanners alongside X-ray cardiac catheterisation laboratories.
Our preclinical facilities include state-of-the art Bioscan Mediso nanoSPECT/CT and nanoPET/CT scanners. We also have a Bruker 9.4T high field vertical bore magnet for both chemical spectroscopy and biological MR imaging/spectroscopy. We have recently purchased a Hypersense Dynamic Nuclear Polarisation system, allowing us to hyperpolarise nuclei on molecules of biological interest, thereby enhancing their NMR visibility by up to 10,000 times. We also have two prototype magnetic-field compatible single slice PET scanners (for both 9.4T and 3T MR systems), which enable us to simultaneously acquire PET scans and MRI images/spectra from either small animals or isolated perfused organs. For high throughput screening and pharmacokinetic modelling of novel radiolabelled tracers, we have also recently developed a triple detector system which allows us to track the wash-in, accumulation, and wash-out, of radiolabels in a variety of isolated perfused organ or tissue systems in real time with very high sensitivity and sub-second temporal resolution.
There is a very well equipped chemistry, radiochemistry and radiobiolology research facility. Equipment includes several radioHPLC systems, fast protein liquid chromatography, FACS, TLC plate scanners and other 2D radioimaging instruments, and its own QToF-LC-mass spectrometer and access to the 9.4T Bruker NMR system for analysis of radioactive samples. The chemistry labs are adjacent to a tissue culture Category II laboratory and preclinical imaging laboratory supporting cross-disciplinary research. These laboratories host a wide range of research on novel chemistry platforms and molecular imaging strategies to support PET, SPECT and MRI, including small molecules and metal complexes, nanoparticles, proteins and peptides.
The PET Imaging Centre at St Thomas’ is part of both Guy’s & St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust and the School of Medicine, King’s College London, and is the leading clinical PET centre in the UK. Our work includes providing a clinical PET service for patients and carrying out clinically related research with collaborators from the Hospital, the Medical School and other institutions.