New generation full body PET scanner to Turku PET Centre – a world of new opportunities

Turku PET Centre has been awarded 5 million € support from Jane and Aatos Erkko Foundation for the purchase of the latest generation full-body PET/CT scanner. The new scanner is able to scan the whole body at one go instead of 20-25 cm slices like the traditional PET scanners. This is a transformative advantage because it makes it possible to examine what is happening simultaneously in the brain, heart, liver, and other organs in the abdomen. For biomedical research, it opens up completely new horizons in understanding the interactions between different body parts and how the human body functions as a whole. With rapid scanning times, lower radiation doses, and extremely high sensitivity and clearer images, the new scanner is also set to revolutionize patient care.

“We are thrilled about having the new generation PET scanner among the first centres in the world! It is a significant investment to Finnish biomedical research and I’m sure that we will see many fascinating scientific breakthroughs and diagnostic improvements in the near future”, says Dr. Tiina Saanijoki from Turku PET Centre, who is also the Node Manager of the Finnish Biomedical Imaging Node. The new scanner is expected to be installed in spring 2022.