GE develops PET tracer device

GE Healthcare announced at this month's Society of Nuclear Medicine meeting the development of a system to help produce a derivative of the fluorine positron radioisotope. The 18F-F2 isotope is a critical starting point for the production of F-DOPA, which has shown potential in diagnosing Parkinson's disease. The new technology, part of GE's PETtrace cyclotron offering, evolved from a collaboration with Imanet, a joint venture between Amersham and leading PET research centers. The 18F-F2 option boosts production capacity by nearly a factor of four, according to GE. This will increase the availability of this compound for use in research while laying the groundwork for wider use if F-DOPA becomes clinically viable.