With MRI scanners that map the body and PET scanners that trace the effectiveness of drugs and hunt out illness, leading institutions are effectively able to peer inside us. VUmc has one of the world’s most advanced labs for developing tracers – the contrasting agents that are injected into the body and attach themselves to diseased cells. It also has one of the few MRI PET scanners in the world, and when the full imaging center opens, will bring together a unique combination of advanced scanners, possibly the world’s best tracer development lab, and leading medical practitioners. The cooperative approach of VUmc Imaging Center sees partnerships with private enterprises such as drugs firm Roche-Genentech and tech provider Philips.
