Project Summary

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. Currently, medical imaging is critical for diagnosis and treatment planning. Development of better imaging tools could improve medical imaging accuracy and save lives. Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scans use radioactive drugs (radiotracers) to take 3-D images of the body without the need for surgery or extensive hospital stays. Radiotracers are designed to target specific parts of the body and measure their function. For example, ethanol is processed by the liver, which means ethanol molecules spend the most time in the liver. If a picture of that accumulated alcohol could be taken, then a picture of the processing activity in the liver would be produced. MFBG is a PET radiotracer that contains radioactive fluorine and can be used to image cardiac function. This is due to its similar structure to a neurotransmitter. In the past, MFBG has been too difficult to produce, which has limited its use as a radiotracer. This project involves implementation of a new and improved MFBG production method to allow for widespread clinical use. Our optimization and analysis of this production method will contribute to MFBG becoming an industry standard for cardiac imaging.