Voluntary prior transparency for the purchase of a preclinical SPECT imaging system

The scope of the assignment includes the purchase of a preclinical SPECT camera system for medical imaging of certain medical isotopes. Medical imaging is divided into modalities that can be used to study anatomy or function. Changes in morphology can be studied with Computed Tomography (CT) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). Biochemical processes can be studied in small animal models using functional imaging. These modalities are Single-Photon Emission Tomography (SPECT), Positron Emission Tomography (PET), and optical imaging. While both SPECT and PET are used for imaging, SPECT also allows for the support of therapeutic applications. We now wish to expand our facilities with a SPECT device. Because molecular imaging with SPECT must be complementary to all other applications within the UMCG, imaging of multiple isotopes simultaneously, and cross-validation with other techniques such as PET, CT, and optical imaging are very important, we require a SPECT device that must, at least, be expandable with these other modalities. The device will then be perfectly complementary to the other devices in GronSAI, the small animal imaging facility of the UMCG. SPECT, high-resolution CT, and 3D optical imaging will be complementary to PET, PET/CT, and PET/MRI imaging, which are already available. In the current facility, SPECT imaging is not possible. Market consultation has also shown that MILabs is the only party that can supply a device that meets the required specifications. The following reasons play an important role in this: Necessity for high sensitivity: High sensitivity allows for the detection of a lower amount of radioactive material. In turn, this allows for the use of smaller amounts of radioactive material, which has advantages in (a) radiation safety, as employees have to work with lower amounts of radioactive substances, (b) cost savings, as less radioisotope needs to be produced/purchased. (c) It also allows for the detection of isotopes that are inherently used in very small quantities, such as alpha-particle emitters (e.g., 225Ac, where only 70 kBq of material is used). (d) Certain radioactive drugs have a long residence time in the body while the radioisotope decays. High sensitivity is necessary to detect the remaining isotope long after administration. (e) For static scans, the scan can be much shorter, allowing for greater throughput, so more studies can be performed on the same day. The use of the SPECT camera for studying therapeutic applications of radioactive drugs requires studies with a large sample size (dozens of samples per study), which requires high throughput and thus sensitivity. Necessity for high resolution: Higher resolution allows for the study of smaller items. We study the uptake of radioisotopes in small laboratory animals, so high resolution is necessary to distinguish detail and to prevent blurring. Furthermore, we study therapeutic radioactive drugs. Detailed knowledge about the uptake of these drugs in the animal, and in different parts of the tumor, is necessary to quantify them correctly in order to predict the therapeutic effect ('dosimetry'). The higher the resolution, the more detail is visible, the better the quality of the measurement. In addition, we study cancer models at an early stage, where very small structures are imaged. This also necessitates high resolution. We also study the uptake of radiotracers in joints and brain parts of small laboratory animals. High resolution is necessary here, because the...