Research summary
Medical imaging is widely used to diagnose anatomical or metabolic anomalies. Positron emission tomography (PET), radiography and its 3D equivalent, computed tomography (CT) use radiation particles to obtain metabolic or anatomical images. However, due to the radioactivity of the photons, subjects’ exposure must be minimized to avoid causing genetic modifications that could lead to cancers. The latest major breakthrough in these medical imaging modalities is the introduction of photon flight time, which has led to significantly higher-quality images.
Dr. Réjean Fontaine, Canada Research Chair in Positron Emission Tomography Based on Photon Flight Time, hopes to advance the knowledge and technologies at the heart of the design and manufacture of PET and CT scanners. He and his research team are designing a detection module that integrates passive components into interposers, designs integrated circuits, processes signals onboard, and characterizes scintillators. Their work will support efforts to design the first PET scanner using time-of-flight technology specifically for the human brain as well as the first CT scanner that incorporates photon time-of-flight.