Single-cell tracking with Compton-PET: An in silico feasibility study

The tracking of single cells is a critical component of developing new therapeutic techniques, particularly for metastatic cancer cells, immune cells, and stem cells. To achieve this, various types of scanners, such as PET, MRI, fluorescence imaging, and optical imaging, are used. In this study, we evaluated the feasibility of using the Compton-PET system for single-cell tracking. Unlike conventional PET scanners that consist of a single detector ring, the Compton-PET system comprises an additional scatterer ring within the primary absorber ring. This design enables the acquisition of both double and single events simultaneously, where doubles refer to the detection of both annihilation photons in either of the two rings, and singles refer to the detection of only one photon scattered in the scatterer detector and subsequently absorbed in the absorber detector. This study is simulation-based. We propose utilising both doubles and singles events to track the unknown trajectory of single cells in the Compton-PET system. We investigated a range of velocities and activities of single cells and compared the tracking performance of the Compton-PET and PET scanners. Our findings indicate that the use of doubles and singles events together in Compton-PET improves the tracking performance compared to PET scanners.

Automated summary

Tracking of single cells, especially metastatic cancer cells, immune cells, and stem cells, is crucial for developing new therapeutic techniques. The feasibility of utilizing the Compton-PET system for single-cell tracking was evaluated and compared to PET scanners. The combination of double and single events in the Compton-PET system improved tracking performance.