PET project for ANSTO

Australia’s nuclear science research organisation ANSTO and the University of Cambridge in the UK have signed an agreement to collaborate on research to use positron emission tomography (PET) to detect patient response to cancer treatment.

The collaboration, being conducted by Cambridge’s Kevin Brindle, will use technology developed by ANSTO’s Dr Suzanne Smith.

Called SarAr, the imaging technology platform allows the isotope copper 64 to be securely attached to anti-cancer drugs. The isotope emits radioactive signals that are imaged by a PET camera, allowing doctors to precisely follow the movement of the drug.

Magnetic resonance imaging is then used to provide an anatomical picture of the tumour and its chemistry.

Smith said the aim of the project was to achieve optimal anatomical images using MRI combined with functional images from PET, using the same imaging agent.

SarAr can be attached to molecules of different sizes, including proteins, peptides, oligos and nanoparticles.

ANSTO now has a new chief executive, with the arrival of Dr Adi Paterson. He has taken over from Dr Ian Smith, who stood down last year.

Paterson, a South African, was most recently general manager of business development and operations at the Pebble Bed Modular Reactor company in Pretoria, which is developing commercial scale high temperature reactor.

He has a degree in chemistry and a PhD in engineering from the University of Cape Town.

ANSTO has had a turbulent couple of years, with its new OPAL reactor having to be shut down for repair for 10 months following a light water leak.

It is now producing neutrons and all seven neutron beam instruments are operational, Paterson said in a statement.

These instruments include Platypus, a reflectometer that will be used to determine chemical structures such as membrane proteins and lipid bilayers.