Positron Emission Tomography Centre

About Us

About Us

The Newcastle Positron Emission Tomography (PET) - Magnetic Resonance (MR) Centre houses a hybrid PET-MR scanner (GE Signa 3 tesla). This scanner can acquire PET and MR images simultaneously and is used for clinical, academic and commercial research applications.

The scanner was installed at the University in 2017, with funding obtained from the Medical Research Council and Industry. It is located in the Annex of Building 15 on the Newcastle University Campus for Ageing and Vitality (CAV) at the old Newcastle General Hospital site off Westgate Road.

Operation of the PET-MR scanner involves co-operation between Newcastle University and NHS staff in the Newcastle University Trust Hospital (NUTH), especially the Regional Medical Physics Department and the Hospital Pharmacy who provide Quality Assurance for all our procedures. We are staffed by Specialist Radiographers.

Applications of Positron Emission Tomography (PET)

The PET-MRI scanner is simply two imaging machines together, with a single bed.  It is primarily for academic and commercial research applications. Rather than being restricted to routine diagnostic use, FDG-PET-MRI can be used in areas such as:
  • evaluation of new anti-cancer drugs
  • incorporation into radiotherapy planning
  • application to other disease types, such as ageing, neuroscience and cardiology
  • co-ordination with other functional and molecular imaging studies.
Benefits of PET-MRI include:
  • Convenience of two exams at once
  • Reduced radiation dose
  • Enhanced image quality
  • More comprehensive diagnosis
  • More structural detail than PET-CT, especially when imaging soft tissue.

As new tracers become available, these will provide even more specific tools to investigate or diagnose a broad range of diseases. We will also be able to check whether new drugs are hitting the targets they have been designed for.


For any clinical or research enquiries contact: civi@newcastle.ac.uk