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BWH celebrated the grand opening of the Cyclotron and Radiopharmaceutical Chemistry Laboratories with researchers and scientists from across the Longwood Medical Area this month with a mini symposium. The completion of the $10 million cyclotron and radiopharmaceutical facility—after years of planning and fund raising—means that physicians and scientists at LMA institutions will have unprecedented access to radiopharmaceuticals and molecular imaging markers produced on site at BWH’s cyclotron as soon as this spring.
“Today we celebrate the opening of this beautiful state-of-the-art facility, which was possible through the hard work of so many people at BWH, HMS, and the Dana-Farber. This program opens unprecedented opportunities to advance translational and clinical research for investigators throughout the LMA,” said Marcelo Di Carli, MD, chief of Nuclear Medicine and director of Cardiovascular Imaging at BWH.
“This cyclotron will enable scientists and clinician-scientists to discover new molecules that may allow us to see disease and evaluate its response to therapy at a much earlier state,” said Eugene Saragnese, vice president of Molecular Imaging and CT at GE Healthcare. GE manufactured the cyclotron and partnered with BWH to bring this decade-long dream to fruition.
The cyclotron will advance research efforts in several BWH service lines, including neurology, cancer, cardiology and vascular medicine, said BWH President Gary Gottlieb, MD, MBA. “Having our chemists and clinicians so close to one another collaborating to advance molecular diagnosis and molecular imaging truly is the vision of our Biomedical Imaging Core Resource,” he said.
Steven Seltzer, MD, chair of Radiology, credited the strength of BWH’s Biomedical Research Institute, and thanked several leaders at BWH and LMA institutions. Together these entities are investing in advanced nuclear medicine technology, high-field MRI, optical imaging advanced CT, image guided therapies and biomedical informatics, and supporting that investment with seasoned and experienced faculty, he said. “The combined potential of our programs in personalized health care is unlimited,” he said.