Molecular Imaging Research Centre Stakeholder Meeting: Clinical Engagement

The Daisy Appeal brought together key stakeholders from Hull and East Yorkshire NHS Trust for a vital engagement meeting at the Daisy Appeal Building. This gathering focused on recent updates, and clinical and research opportunities within the Molecular Imaging Research Centre (MIRC), highlighting the charity's ongoing fundraising efforts for a new digital PET-CT scanner. The event featured insights from leading experts, emphasising how these advancements will transform cancer, heart disease, and dementia diagnostics in the region.

Attendees included a diverse group of consultants and professionals from cardiology, oncology, radiology, infectious diseases, respiratory medicine, radiochemistry, radiation physics, and biology.

For the past decade, the Daisy Appeal has funded analogue PET scanning equipment at the Jack Brignall PET-CT Centre, which opened in 2014 at Castle Hill Hospital. Initially handling 1,500 scans annually, mainly for cancer, the Siemens PET scanner now supports 5,000 scans in 2025 alone. With a consistent 10% yearly increase and projections reaching 9,000 scans per year in the coming decade - including expanded dementia and cardiac imaging - the current setup cannot sustain future demand. The charity is therefore procuring multi-capability digital scanning equipment to move into the digital era of PET imaging.

The Charity has already raised approximately £1.3m towards the £3 million  target and the selected GE Healthcare OMNI model is on order. This modular upgrade will nearly double annual scan capacity and enable screening for conditions such as lung cancer, repeated scans for individual patients, and safer imaging for children and potentially pregnant women - reducing radiation exposure and scan times. It also opens new research avenues in paediatric trials, young adult conditions such as Crohn’s disease and juvenile arthritis, and studies involving patients unable to remain still during long scans. Future funding could add a second "doughnut" module, potentially making it one of the limited number of  total-body scanners in the UK , alongside those in London and  Edinburgh.

The meeting also offered clinical stakeholders a direct opportunity to lead research studies. Dr Azeem shared that he is exploring the option of a potential pump-priming grant in discussion with the charity. If approved, this would provide six free scans to three local clinical or academic investigators, helping to generate pilot data that supports larger grant applications and enhances the unit’s research output and reputation. This pump-priming approach will accelerate trials, including potential collaborations with other UK centres. As Dr Louis Allott observed, “Everyone here wants to see a push from clinical trials to routine use,” positioning the region as a hub for cancer imaging research and care.