Cadmium Zinc Telluride, or CZT, cameras offer dual-isotope imaging capabilities impossible to duplicate using any other preclinical molecular imaging system. This new technology will enable the investigation of multiple biological processes in parallel and open new areas in research and drug development. The dual-isotope capability is due to the improved energy resolution of CZT (4.5% for 99m Tc), which is 2-3 times better than in existing systems. This improved energy resolution allows for the rejection of more scattered photons, yielding higher contrast images. In addition, CZT provides increased sensitivity compared to traditional pixellated NaI(Tl) systems due to the absence of any escape peaks. These properties combine to give a higher sensitivity detector with significantly improved contrast. The present work demonstrates the use of CZT in dual-isotope imaging of mice using two radiopharmaceuticals with very close energy peaks. These included 99m Tc-labelled MDP (bone agent) and 123 I (thyroid) and a mouse bone ( 99m Tc-MDP) image with a 57 Co fiducial marker. The results show the first ever simultaneous 99m Tc / 123 I mouse images. The individual isotope peaks showed significant separation and yielded an image with the thyroid (2-3 mm) clearly distinguished from the bone structure. GM-I's new FLEX Triumph™ Pre-clinical system is the first in the field to offer CZT SPECT detectors.

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