SEK 28 million grant to fund advanced imaging equipment

Today, different imaging technologies are used to diagnose diseases. PET, or positron emission tomography, is a very sensitive imaging technology that can create three-dimensional images by tracing molecules  with radioactive markers through the body. The technology has allowed earlier discovery and improved treatment of a number of diseases. However, PET becomes even more effective if combined with MRI – magnetic resonance imaging.

As the first higher education institution in Sweden, Uppsala University previously received funding for such a combined PET/MRI facility for clinical use, situated at Uppsala University Hospital but available as a national resource. With the new grant of SEK 28 million it will be expanded with similar equipment for preclinical use.

“Uppsala will have the only complete PET/MRI facility in Sweden, supporting everything from basic research to clinical research. This is good news for several research groups at Uppsala University, but also for researchers in other parts of the country”, says Mats Larhed, professor at the Department of Medical Chemistry and lead applicant for the grant.

Behind the grant application are Uppsala researchers from the disciplinary domains of medicine and pharmacy, as well as science and technology, and a group from Karolinska Institutet.

In total, the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation has approved grants of SEK 203 million towards nationally important research infrastructure at Chalmers, Gothenburg University, Umeå University, the Royal Institute of Technology and Uppsala University.