Research Projects

The construction of the VIP prototype was concluded in 2015 and since then the IFAE team has focused on data analysis.

It has been shown that the FWHM energy resolution at 511 keV is 2% for single-point events and 3% for Compton-type events. The intrinsic spatial resolution of the VIP detector is 0.29 mm, 0.29 mm, and 0.58 mm in x, y, and z respectively. The excellent spatial and energy resolution make the VIP detector an excellent candidate to become a large field-of-view Gamma Compton Camera for nuclear medicine.

The VIP scanner is an excellent Compton-PET device that can provide real time information when using an isotope that yields beta+ and gamma simultaneously, such as 22Na or 44Sc. Such detectors will be able to do real-time imaging in nuclear medicine to, for instance, monitor the cerebral blood flow. The detector can be used for Positron Emission Particle Tracking, another way to track in 3D the flow of fluid/slurries in an opaque system.

The concept of real time Compton-PET imaging has been filed as a patent application, and has been granted in China and the EU in 2019 and 2020, respectively.