- The University of Sheffield will play a central role in the ANGLIA network, which will host a new cutting-edge total-body PET scanner which will transform how a range of diseases are diagnosed and treated
- PET is a powerful technology that images living tissues and organs at a molecular level, helping to investigate how diseases arise and progress
- The new total-body PET scanner is more sensitive and can achieve a full-body scan in a single session, exposing patients to considerably lower doses of radiation
- This means more patients, including children, can participate in clinical research and trials
A new cutting-edge total-body PET scanner is set to transform how a range of diseases are diagnosed and treated.
Scientists from the University of Sheffield will play a central role in the new UK-wide medical imaging platform, strengthening the institution’s world-class medical research that will bring benefits to patients across Yorkshire and the north of England.
The University of Sheffield, together with Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, is a key partner in the ANGLIA network, which will host a new £5.5m total-body PET scanner in Cambridge. This collaboration will make the UK’s first-of-its-kind national PET imaging platform.
The new scanner, funded by the UKRI Medical Research Council (MRC), will be part of the National PET Imaging Platform (NPIP) for drug discovery and clinical research. Positron emission tomography (PET) is a powerful technology that images living tissues and organs at a molecular level, helping to investigate how diseases arise and progress.
Unlike current technology, the new total-body PET scanner is more sensitive and can achieve a full-body scan in a single session, exposing patients to considerably lower doses of radiation. This means more patients, including children, can participate in clinical research and trials.
Central to ANGLIA’s geographical reach and scientific programme is the University of Sheffield’s close links with Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, the Northern BRC Operations Network, and the Northern Health Science Alliance, making this new technology accessible to the region.
The collaboration will particularly benefit research at the University of Sheffield’s Institute of Translational Neuroscience (SITran). SITran is world-leading in its investigation of neurodegenerative disorders like motor neuron disease (MND), dementia, Parkinson’s and Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and has a strong track record of over 20 ongoing clinical trials, many in collaboration with Cambridge and UCL.
Imaging scientists from Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, who are experienced in PET imaging, will also play a crucial role in the Network, and further complement the existing collaboration between the University of Sheffield and Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in this area.
Li Su, Professor of Neuroimaging at the University of Sheffield, said: “Being one of the founding institutes of ANGLIA will boost the existing PET imaging research programs in Sheffield.
“Through collaboration with ANGLIA and Cambridge, where significant radiochemistry investment is planned, we would also be accessing more novel PET radiotracers, which is a major area that different institutes can work on together.”
The scanner, supplied by Siemens Healthineers, will be the focus of the ANGLIA network, which includes three universities—the University of Sheffield, University of Cambridge and UCL —each paired with local NHS trusts.
Franklin Aigbirhio, Professor of Molecular Imaging Chemistry at the University of Cambridge, will lead the ANGLIA network. He said: “This is an exciting new technology that will transform our ability to answer important questions about how diseases arise and to search for and develop new treatments that will ultimately benefit not just our patients, but those across the UK and beyond. It will also help us diagnose and treat diseases at an even earlier stage, particularly in children.”
The scanner will be located at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge and is anticipated to be installed by autumn 2026. The network, supported by UKRI, also includes partnerships with biotech company Altos Labs, pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, and Alliance Medical.
The collaboration will also focus on enhancing training and research capacity, with a dedicated fellowship scheme to increase the representation of researchers from Black and other minority ethnic backgrounds in medical imaging.
The National PET Imaging Platform (NPIP) is funded by UKRI’s Infrastructure Fund and delivered by a partnership between Medicines Discovery Catapult, MRC, and Innovate UK.
