With the appearance of new and challenging clinical applications in the era of radiotheranostics, personalized dosimetry, radiomics and AI, molecular imaging and specifically SPECT instrumentation are experiencing a significant growth, a renewed interest, and a modernization push. By refining new collimator designs, hardware configurations and detector materials, the development of the next generation of SPECT instrumentation is underway. This presentation emphasizes how current advancements in instrumentation will enable precise imaging and quantification of targeted alpha therapies for treatment planning and monitoring.

Learning objectives:

• Attendees will be able to determine the role that imaging instrumentation plays in achieving ‘see what you treat and treat what you see’ in targeted alpha therapies;
• Participants will learn about cutting-edge instrumentation being developed for imaging and monitoring targeted alpha therapies;
• Attendees will gain insight into the hardware challenges and recent advancements in hyperspectral imaging for targeted alpha therapies.

Presenter Biography:
Dr. Elena M. Zannoni is an assistant professor in the Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin, as core faculty of the Nuclear and Radiation Engineering Program and with courtesy appointment in the Department of Diagnostic Medicine at the Dell Medical School. Dr. Zannoni’s research focuses on the development of nuclear medicine imaging instrumentation and data analysis techniques for advanced applications in radiological science and molecular imaging. Since the beginning of her career, she has been involved in several NIH-funded multi-institutional and multi-disciplinary collaborations for the development of state-of-art imaging systems for clinical and preclinical applications. At the University of Texas at Austin, she directs the Advanced Radiological Imaging and Instrumentation Lab. Dr. Zannoni received her Ph.D. in Bioengineering from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 2021 and her M.Sc. degree (2015) with honors in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Pisa (Italy). Dr. Zannoni’s contributions have been recognized by several awards to young investigators by the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) and the IEEE Nuclear and Plasma Sciences Society (NPSS), including the 2022 IEEE NPSS Edward J. Hoffman Early Career Development Award and the 2024 SNMMI Tracy L. Faber Memorial Award. She is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the SNMMI Physics, Instrumentation and Data Science Council, and of the Council of Early Career Investigators in Imaging (CECI²) of the Academy for Radiology and Biomedical Imaging Research.

Author