The Nishina Memorial Cyclotron Center
The Nishina Memorial Cyclotron Center was established in 1990 for the purpose of contributing to the development of nuclear medicine.
It was named in commemoration of Dr. Yoshio Nishina, a pioneer in atomic physics in Japan.
In the center, a small cyclotron of compact design produces positron emitting nuclides which can be used for disease diagnosis and research work.
Furthermore, protons accelerated by the cyclotron are used for research on PIXE(Particle Induced X-ray Emission) analysis, by which trace elements in a small amount of sample are simultaneously detected with high sensitivity.
Those facilities of the center are open to researchers throughout Japan for their studies.

Cerebral blood flow

     

 

Measuring device for PET



PET(Positron Emission Tomography)

Using an automated radiosynthesis system, positron nuclides (11C, 13N, 15O,18F) produced by the cyclotron are synthesized to radiopharmaceuticals which are administered to patients.
Gamma-rays of positron annihilations are measured outside the human body In image tom for diagnosis.
PET is superior to other methods using single gamma-ray emitting nuclides in quantitative determination, and is also very suitable for metabolic and functional analysis.