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A Newsletter Exploring Science 
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Working With My PET and CAT Everyday
When I speak of working with a PET and CAT, I don't mean the family cat or dog; I'm talking about Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and Computerized Axial Tomography (CAT). If any of you have ever watched commercials on TV or seen hospital billboards, more than likely you've seen advertisement praising the accomplishments of PET and CAT or CT imaging for early detection of cancer and cancer therapy.
CT is a three dimensional (3-D) X-ray which allows you to acquire and manipulate soft tissue and anatomical/skeletal images. The two techniques are used together to allow monitoring drug activity in every organ in the body. I personally work with what is called microPET and microCT, meaning the two machines are designed for research in small animals and samples. PET is used extensively in clinical research in humans for oncology (imaging of tumors) and clinical diagnosis of certain brain diseases, e.g., different types of dementia and heart function. PET is used in pre-clinical studies in animals (this is what I do), where it allows for repeated scans in the same animals. This is a very valuable tool in cancer research, as it results in an increase in the statistical power of the data as the animals serve as their own control and we can measure, e.g., tumor growth over time. This substantially reduces the number of animals required for a given study.
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PET is a technology that involves the acquisition of physiologic images based on the detection of radiation from drugs labeled with an isotope that is a positron emitter. These images allow you to measure biochemistry and physiological functions of the labeled drugs in live animals or humans (internal images). 
CT is an important tool in medical imaging in place of X-ray and medical ultrasound. CT is somewhat expensive compared to other imaging devices, but it has become the standard in the diagnosis of a number of different disease entities because of its extraordinarily high resolution. We are able to visualize in greater detail and at a smaller size. CT is used in the clinic in humans for preventive medicine and screening for disease, e.g., scanning for patients with a high risk of colon cancer, or for changes in the brain, chest/lung, heart, abdomen and pelvic regions. For the reasons just mentioned this is why we are using CT in pre-clinical research in animals as well.|
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We Want to Hear From You! We want to include your stories, comments, or questions relating to animals in your classroom in upcoming editions of BioFocus. Please email stories to mismr@umich.edu. |