Houston-based United Imaging Healthcare (UIH) announces that the U.S. FDA has cleared uEXPLORER, its total-body PET/CT scanner. uEXPLORER, which can capture a 3D picture of the whole body in one position, was developed in conjunction with researchers Simon Cherry, PhD, and Ramsey Badawi, PhD, from the University of California, Davis.
“This is truly a game-changing, revolutionary day for the advancement of medical technology,” says Jeffrey M. Bundy, PhD, CEO of UIH Solutions. “The human images the uEXPLORER produces have been nothing short of astonishing, especially when one considers the very short acquisition times. This device will bring us into completely new areas of discussion with our customers, as we jointly re-think the role of PET in the North American healthcare system. We are thrilled to be able to start sharing it widely in the US.”
The developers expect the technology will have a wide range of applications, from improving diagnostics to tracking disease progression to researching new therapies. For example, uEXPLORER will be used to better visualize cancer that has spread beyond a single tumor site. Researchers also envision using the scanner to measure blood flow across the entire body and study inflammation, infections and immunological/metabolic disorders.
“With this device, we will be able to ask and answer an array of new biological questions – that’s truly incredible for the future of healthcare for all of us,” says Badawi, chief of nuclear medicine at UC Davis.
