PET
Usually Positron Emission Tomography (PET) is widely used in medical imaging, mainly for cancer diagnosis but also in medical research. With phenoPET we developed a PET scanner which is dedicated to plant research. The aim is investigating the transport of photo-assimilates within the plant. This is realized by labeling carbon dioxide with the positron emitter carbon-11 (11CO2) and applying it to the leaves of the plant where it will be assimilated. Hereafter, the 11C decay allows phenoPET to follow the transport of the carbon compounds through the plant, especially into the root system.
As with most PET scanners, the detectors in phenoPET form a cylindrical ring around the object of interest. For a clinical scanner, which is supposed to examine the patient in a lying position, the ring will be oriented vertically. In contrast, a living plant needs to be scanned in an upright position and therefore phenoPET requires a horizontal ring orientation.
Contact
- Institute of Technology and Engineering (ITE)
Room 224