This revised application requests funds to purchase a modern radiosynthesis module and required hot cell enclosure to be housed, managed, and utilized as a Shared Resource within the Vanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science (VUIIS) Radiochemistry Core Laboratory. The proposed equipment is a General Electric (GE) TRACERlabTM FX2 N reaction module with an accompanying Comecer hot cell, both of which would be the first of their kind at Vanderbilt. The proposed equipment will greatly enhance and expand the existing NIH- supported clinical and preclinical research projects that utilize research positron emission tomography (PET) radiopharmaceuticals. We have specifically selected this instrumentation because it will meet the needs of our NIH-funded Core user base and will integrate seamlessly into our existing laboratory environment. Since the launch of the Radiochemistry Core Laboratory in 2010, the annual number of requests for research PET tracers at Vanderbilt has more than doubled. This growth is consistent with major increases in the volume of NIH-funded projects that either utilize or develop PET tracers in clinical and preclinical research and a major Institutional effort to encourage the development of Investigational New Drug Applications (INDs) for PET tracers. Coupled with increased volume, the pace of NIH-funded PET imaging research at Vanderbilt has accelerated dramatically over the last two years, stemming from a recent doubling of clinical and preclinical PET scanning capability. Overall, these factors have led to a tremendous need for additional radiochemistry infrastructure to adequately support current and emerging PET imaging research programs at Vanderbilt. In this application, we highlight numerous NIH-supported projects that will directly benefit in multiple ways from the acquisition of this resource. This application includes a description of each NIH-funded project that would directly benefit from this resource, a description of the scientific and technical expertise of those individuals who will oversee and manage the resource, a plan for administration, and a strong commitment from Vanderbilt University to provide support for the resource.
This application requests funds to purchase equipment to prepare radiopharmaceuticals for positron emission tomography (PET) imaging. Compounds, or 'tracers', prepared using this equipment will be used to noninvasively detect disease and measure response to therapies in human beings and preclinical models.
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