Nalu Scientific LLC (NSL) proposes to develop and optimize the design of a SiPM-based,low-power, high channel density, waveform-digitizing readout microchip for TOF-PET that willincrease image quality and provide more accurate and precise quantization for PET brainimaging, with the potential to significantly improve early diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseasewhile also allowing greater flexibility in the development of personalized patient imagingstrategies. NSL's patented waveform-digitizing "System on Chip" readout ASIC technology hasthe potential to substantially improve TOF-PET imaging from its current state. During Phase I,we will build on the prior experience and knowledge we have gained using NSL's technology indeveloping state-of-the-art high energy and nuclear physics detectors to substantially improvePET imaging readout systems through increased SNR, image contrast and quality, reducedexposure times/dose, and reduced system cost to drive broad acceptance. Theseimprovements will initially focus on brain PET imaging but can be expanded to whole-bodysystems. We will leverage NSL's existing portfolio of low-power, low-cost WFD ASIC designs,already proven to work in large particle physics detectors, to implement a PET-specific WFDASIC optimized for brain PET scanners but equally applicable to whole-body. We will initiallydevelop detailed analytic modeling of light production and transport in scintillating crystals, alongwith realistic Monte Carlo simulations of sensor and readout electronics in order to derivebaseline technical specifications for both a fully optimized TOF-PET WFD readout chip as wellas a "bare-bones" implementation substantially based on circuit design elements derived fromone or more existing NSL chip designs. NSL's "System on Chip" WFD architecture, with fullyrandom accessible analog storage, input triggering, and on-chip control capability, allows for anumber of highly effective mechanisms to cope with design issues such as e.g., throughput,speed, and buffer length, will be crucial to optimize in the technical specification of a WFC ASICwhich meets performance goals while simultaneously fulfilling the stringent constraints onphysical and other characteristics such as size, weight, power, and cost that will be required inany realistic TOF-PET system. We will collaborate with Dr. Hamid Sabet (Harvard) to define arealistic full signal chain + readout model and subsequently evaluate its results to generateASIC technical specifications and architectural design for a substantially improved WFD readoutASIC for TOF-PET systems relative to the current state of the art.
Public Health Relevance Statement: NARRATIVE
Neurodegenerative diseases affect over 50 million people in the United States every year and
can have catastrophic impacts on individuals and their families. One of the most effective
methods of understanding the underlying pathology of neurodegenerative diseases is through
high-precision time-of-flight positron emission tomography. The proposed SyMPET technology
has the potential to dramatically increase contrast and image quality, leading to fundamental
improvements in the accuracy of disease detection while simultaneously allowing significantly
lower patient exposures relative to existing PET scanning systems.
Project Terms: Affect ; Architecture ; Engineering / Architecture ; bone ; Brain ; Brain Nervous System ; Encephalon ; Budgets ; Buffers ; Communication ; Contrast Media ; Contrast Agent ; Contrast Drugs ; Radiopaque Media ; Crystallization ; Diagnostic Imaging ; Disease ; Disorder ; Electronics ; electronic device ; Elements ; Equilibrium ; balance ; balance function ; Family ; Goals ; Image Enhancement ; Libraries ; Light ; Photoradiation ; Medical Device ; Medical Imaging ; Methods ; Mission ; Monte Carlo Method ; Monte Carlo algorithm ; Monte Carlo calculation ; Monte Carlo procedure ; Monte Carlo simulation ; Noise ; Nuclear Physics ; Legal patent ; Patents ; Pathology ; Patients ; Positron-Emission Tomography ; PET ; PET Scan ; PET imaging ; PETSCAN ; PETT ; Positron Emission Tomography Medical Imaging ; Positron Emission Tomography Scan ; Rad.-PET ; positron emission tomographic (PET) imaging ; positron emission tomographic imaging ; positron emitting tomography ; Production ; Risk ; Semiconductors ; Signal Transduction ; Cell Communication and Signaling ; Cell Signaling ; Intracellular Communication and Signaling ; Signal Transduction Systems ; Signaling ; biological signal transduction ; Silicon ; Si element ; Technology ; Testing ; Time ; United States ; Weight ; Work ; Measures ; Healthcare ; health care ; base ; density ; detector ; sensor ; improved ; Brain imaging ; brain visualization ; Phase ; Individual ; analog ; Letters ; Knowledge ; Dimensions ; Techniques ; System ; Organ System ; body system ; Width ; Degenerative Neurologic Diseases ; Degenerative Neurologic Disorders ; Nervous System Degenerative Diseases ; Neural Degenerative Diseases ; Neural degenerative Disorders ; Neurodegenerative Diseases ; Neurologic Degenerative Conditions ; degenerative diseases of motor and sensory neurons ; degenerative neurological diseases ; neurodegenerative illness ; Neurodegenerative Disorders ; interest ; early detection ; Early Diagnosis ; experience ; Performance ; Speed ; simulation ; novel ; Prevention ; Devices ; Modeling ; Sampling ; portability ; microchip ; Manufacturer ; Manufacturer Name ; Provider ; Length ; Dose ; Data ; Detection ; International ; Resolution ; Characteristics ; Process ; Development ; developmental ; Image ; imaging ; cost ; design ; designing ; Consumption ; prototype ; flexibility ; flexible ; signal processing ; particle physics ; flavor physics ; imaging system ; contrast imaging ; imaging capabilities ; Patient imaging ; data streams ; diagnostic technologies ;
