Speaker
Description
Targeted Radionuclide Therapy combined with diagnostic imaging (“theranostics”) requires radionuclides that can provide both therapeutic and imaging capabilities. The isotope of Silver (Ag-111), with its beta emission for therapy and gamma emission at 245 keV and 342 keV, represents a promising candidate for imaging applications. Its relatively high photon energies are outside conventional range for SPECT systems, motivating the development of dedicated detection devices.
Within the ISOLPHARM-ADMIRAL project, we designed and characterized a compact gamma camera prototype optimized for Ag-111 imaging. The system consists of a tungsten collimator (with septa of 1 mm), a Cerium-doped Gadolinium Aluminum Gallium Garnet (GAGG:Ce) scintillator matrix 23 x 23 elements (1 × 1 × 17 mm3), a Hamamatsu 8×8 silicon photomultiplier (Si-PM) array (each pixel 3.0 × 3.0 mm2), and a commercial readout electronics (CAEN-FERS). SiPMs provide compactness, robustness, high timing performance and magnetic field immunity compared to conventional photomultiplier tubes.
Laboratory characterisation was carried out using an optical laser and gamma-emitting sources, including Ba-133 and Ag-111, to evaluate spatial resolution, and system linearity.
Particular attention was given to spatial resolution and the assessment of imaging feasibility.
First results indicate that SiPM-based detectors coupled with GAGG crystals provide a feasible approach for high-energy SPECT imaging, within a modular system specifically optimized for Ag-111 theranostic applications.
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