We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

World’s First Three-Photon PET Scan Paves Way for New Cancer Diagnostic Techniques

By MedImaging International staff writers
Posted on 26 Oct 2021

Illustration

The world’s first three-photon PET scan has been has been produced using the J-PET scanner that differs significantly from the currently used PET scanners, which only produce images based on two photons.

This innovative method was developed by an interdisciplinary and international group including physicists, chemists, electronic engineers, computer scientists, quantum information physicists as well as bio and medical physicists at Jagiellonian University (Kraków, Poland). The technology paves the way for new techniques of cancer diagnostics as well as possibilities of testing the symmetry between matter and antimatter.

The aim of the Jagiellonian PET project (J-PET) is to develop a device capable of scanning the entirety of a patient’s body at the same time. It could serve not only as a tool for locating cancer, but also determining the level of its malignancy and investigating the dynamics of metabolism and drug distribution. J-PET is a unique and innovative solution that will allow for the introduction of treatment methods based on precise diagnostics that will be continually improved at the JU Centre for Theranostics (a combination of therapeutics and diagnostics: a new approach to medicine focused on developing new technological solutions for simultaneous detection and treatment of diseases). The scientists have now created an image based solely on three-photon positronium annihilations. The ability to reconstruct these phenomena not only opens up new possibilities for unconventional techniques in PET imaging, but may also provide new perspectives for basic research.

Related Links:
Jagiellonian University

Visit expo >

X-Ray Illuminator

X-Ray Viewbox Illuminators

Digital Intelligent Ferromagnetic Detector

Digital Ferromagnetic Detector

High-Precision QA Tool

DEXA Phantom

Ultrasound-Guided Biopsy & Visualization Tools

Endoscopic Ultrasound (EUS) Guided Devices

Latest General/Advanced Imaging News

Channels

Radiography

view channel

Simple Chest X-Ray Measure Predicts Survival After Lung Cancer Surgery

Obstructive ventilatory disorder, marked by airflow limitation that reduces breathing efficiency, increases postoperative risk in patients with lung cancer. Although surgery offers the best chance of cure,... Read more

AI Detection Tool Improves Identification of Lobular Breast Cancer

Breast cancer screening seeks early detection, yet some subtypes remain difficult to visualize on mammography, risking delayed diagnosis. On average, 1 in 20 women worldwide will develop breast cancer,... Read more

Image: Ambika Bajpayee and her team at Northeastern developed a patented contrast agent 100 times more efficient than current options (photo courtesy of Ruby Wallau/Northeastern University)

New Contrast Agent Enables Low-Dose X-Ray Joint Imaging

X-ray imaging offers limited visualization of soft tissues like cartilage, complicating evaluation of joint pain and degenerative disease. Clinicians often rely on joint-space narrowing as a proxy for... Read more

Image: AI may provide a solution as breast cancer screening programs face rising demand and workforce shortages (123RF)

AI Boosts Breast Cancer Detection and Cuts Screening Workload

Breast cancer screening programs face rising demand and persistent workforce shortages, straining double-reading workflows and delaying care. Early detection is critical to reduce mortality and minimize... Read more

MRI

view channel

$Image: By training the AI with simulations, researchers can reconstruct brain images with high precision using only one-tenth of the data typically required in magnetic resonance imaging. The image shows a metric known as “fractional anisotropy”—an index of myelination—obtained using conventional methods and with the new approach (Photo courtesy of Instituto de Neurociencias UMH CSIC)$

AI Approach Could Shorten Advanced Brain MRI Scans by Up to 90%

Long acquisition times for advanced brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can limit access, extend waiting lists, and disrupt clinical workflows. Reducing data requirements without sacrificing image fidelity... Read more

Image: Representative cine-CMR four-chamber image demonstrating severe tricuspid regurgitation (Photo courtesy of Dr. Robert Zhang)

Cardiac MRI Measure Improves Risk Prediction in Tricuspid Regurgitation

Tricuspid regurgitation, in which blood flows back from the right ventricle into the right atrium, can lead to progressive right-sided heart failure. Clinicians need reliable ways to gauge severity and... Read more

AI System Improves Accuracy of Cardiac MRI Interpretation

Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the reference standard for assessing cardiac structure, function, and tissue health. Yet each exam can contain hundreds to thousands of images across multiple... Read more

Image: A multitask deep learning model uses a single baseline MRI scan and demographic data to predict cognitive scores without baseline cognitive testing (image credit: 123RF)

Deep Learning Model Predicts Alzheimer’s Disease Outcomes from Baseline MRI

Alzheimer’s disease, which accounts for 60% to 70% of dementia cases worldwide, remains difficult to predict early in its course. Accurate prognostication typically relies on neuropsychological testing,... Read more

Ultrasound

view channel

AI Robotic Ultrasound System Automates Echocardiography and Improves Consistency

Echocardiography, an ultrasound examination of the heart, is central to diagnosing and managing cardiovascular disease. Many services struggle with limited availability of skilled sonographers, variable... Read more

Image: Whole cross-sectional UST of a healthy adult female (participant 1) (Garrett, D.C., Xu, J., Oh, D. et al. Nat. Biomed. Eng (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41551-026-01660-4)

Whole Cross-Section Ultrasound System Enables Operator-Independent Imaging

Conventional ultrasound is central to bedside imaging but is limited by a narrow field of view and operator variability. Comprehensive cross-sectional assessment typically requires computed tomography... Read more

New Ultrasound AI Tool Supports Rapid Prenatal Assessment

Accurate gestational age estimation guides prenatal screening, detection of complications, and timely intervention. Access to ultrasound and trained sonographers is uneven, with nearly half of U.... Read more

Image: Researchers developed an expert consensus to standardize UDFF use in clinical practice based on extensive literature review, expert experience and recent advances in MASLD diagnosis (Photo courtesy of Dr. Huixiong Xu and Dr. Hong Ding from Fudan University, China)

New Consensus Standardizes Ultrasound-Based Fatty Liver Assessment

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is rising along with obesity and diabetes, making accurate, scalable measurement of hepatic fat a clinical priority. Biopsy is invasive... Read more

Nuclear Medicine

view channel

AI Model Predicts Radiation Dose Before Prostate Cancer Therapy

Metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) is an advanced form of disease that progresses despite androgen-deprivation therapy and frequently spreads to bone and visceral organs.... Read more

Vault-Free Radiosurgery Platform Expands Access to Cranial Tumor Care

Brain tumors and certain skull base lesions often require precise, non-invasive treatment that protects nearby critical structures. Although stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) enables outpatient therapy without... Read more

$Image: Imricor\'s NorthStar Mapping System (photo courtesy of Imricor)$

MR-Guided Cardiac Mapping System Enables Radiation-Free Procedures

Cardiac electrophysiology procedures are typically guided by X-ray fluoroscopy, which limits soft-tissue visualization and exposes patients and clinical staff to ionizing radiation. Real-time mapping that... Read more

PET Tracer Enables Noninvasive Measurement of Beta Cell Mass

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system destroys insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells. Loss of these cells destabilizes glucose control and drives complications.... Read more

Imaging IT

view channel

Image: Researchers develop a vision-language model trained on large-scale data to generate clinically relevant findings from chest computed tomography images through visual question answering (Ms. Maiko Nagao from Meijo University, Japan)

Interactive AI Tool Supports Explainable Lung Nodule Assessment

Lung cancer is a leading cause of cancer mortality, and timely characterization of pulmonary nodules on chest computed tomography (CT) is essential for directing care. Interpreting nodule morphology demands... Read more

Breast Imaging Software Enhances Visualization and Tissue Characterization in Challenging Cases

Breast imaging can be particularly challenging in cases involving small breasts or implants, where image reconstruction and tissue characterization may be limited. Clinicians also need reproducible analysis... Read more

New Google Cloud Medical Imaging Suite Makes Imaging Healthcare Data More Accessible

Medical imaging is a critical tool used to diagnose patients, and there are billions of medical images scanned globally each year. Imaging data accounts for about 90% of all healthcare data1 and, until... Read more

Global AI in Medical Diagnostics Market to Be Driven by Demand for Image Recognition in Radiology

The global artificial intelligence (AI) in medical diagnostics market is expanding with early disease detection being one of its key applications and image recognition becoming a compelling consumer proposition... Read more

Industry News

view channel

GE HealthCare Highlights AI-Supported Radiation Therapy Tools at ESTRO 2026

At the European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology (ESTRO) 2026 Congress in Stockholm, GE HealthCare is highlighting Intelligent Radiation Therapy (iRT), MIM Software innovations, and BK Medical surgical... Read more

Nuclear Medicine Set for Continued Growth Driven by Demand for Precision Diagnostics

Clinical imaging services face rising demand for precise molecular diagnostics and targeted radiopharmaceutical therapy as cancer and chronic disease rates climb. A new market analysis projects rapid expansion... Read more

GE HealthCare and NVIDIA Collaboration to Reimagine Diagnostic Imaging

GE HealthCare (Chicago, IL, USA) has entered into a collaboration with NVIDIA (Santa Clara, CA, USA), expanding the existing relationship between the two companies to focus on pioneering innovation in... Read more

Image: The patient-specific 3D-printed phantoms usher in a new era for medical imaging research (Photo courtesy of Siemens Healthineers)

Patient-Specific 3D-Printed Phantoms Transform CT Imaging

New research has highlighted how anatomically precise, patient-specific 3D-printed phantoms are proving to be scalable, cost-effective, and efficient tools in the development of new CT scan algorithms... Read more