Mapping the Future of Neuroimaging

Inspired by Stony Brook’s history in medical imaging, two Stony Brook couples teamed up to help acquire a PET/CT scanner for the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University. An initial challenge grant from Ivana Stolnik-Lourie ’16 and Robert Lourie, PhD, was met by Kavita and Lalit Bahl, PhD, to fund the project.

This PET/CT scanner is the last piece of the puzzle so that we now have a completely state-of-the- art PET Center. With this support, Stony Brook University will be able to continue its proud legacy in the field of biomedical imaging and continue to advance cutting-edge research on behalf of our patients.

Located in our Medical and Research Translation (MART) building, this new scanner is dedicated to supporting our robust clinical research endeavors. It is helping Stony Brook Medicine continue our essential work in biomedical engineering, psychiatry and neurology. Advancements in neuroimaging can provide new insights into the workings of the brain, help identify novel treatment methods, provide targets for drug development and allow researchers to examine brain tissue at a cellular level.

Translational research focused on the analysis of brain images holds tremendous promise, and we are extremely grateful to the Louries and the Bahls for their extraordinary gift.

Additionally, PET/CT scans provide highly defined, three-dimensional images, helping in the diagnosis and treatment of conditions such as cancer and heart disease. These scans provide information about the metabolic function of cancer cells and can detect very small tumors, providing the anatomic information necessary for an accurate diagnosis.