Both devices rely on injectable solutions of radiopharmaceuticals, which are drugs that are labeled with radioactive isotopes. As the solution circulates throughout the body, it tends to accumulate in malignant cells. The congregated radiopharmaceuticals emit gamma-rays, which are sensed as light by the devices and then converted into electronic signals that can be rendered as a visible image.
"What we will be looking to do is develop minimally invasive instrumentation," Keppel says. "We want to be able to locate and diagnose cancers more effectively. Everything coming out of the Center, at least in the immediate future, will be focused on finding better ways to locate or image those radiopharmaceuticals."
Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS) in Norfolk will be joining with CAMI to establish a graduate program in medical physics. It will be the first such program in Virginia, and the first in the country at an historically black college. Any devices resulting from the collaboration will be evaluated both nationally and in clinical programs conducted at Tidewater-area hospitals.
Keppel is in the process of writing proposals that would fund Center personnel in medical physics, engineering and applied technology. In addition to five students and two part-time administrative assistants, Keppel expects up to 10 individuals from Hampton University, the Lab, and EVMS to staff CAMI. "We pool expertise in one place and we get the word out," she says. "The idea is to become an international resource for medical physics and to invite physicians, companies and patient advocacy groups to partner with us."
Groundbreaking for a new CAMI research facility on campus at Hampton University is scheduled for later this spring. When complete in 2003, the Center will enclose 12,000 square feet in two stories, housing primarily research labs
Contact: Linda Ware
DOE/Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility