I really appreciate your question. There are several aspects to our work. The Molecular Imaging Centre of Sherbrooke was created in 1998, with the installation of a cyclotron, a device that runs on electricity and is used to produce research isotopes.
Afterwards, the centre grew a lot thanks to the hiring of radiophysicians and radiochemists, the team needed to produce isotopes. So the centre shifted from research to clinical use. The isotopes used in animals for scientific research needs will also be used in humans for diagnostic purposes.
Our centre combines two devices for manufacturing isotopes. We use two cyclotrons that provide us with a wide range of isotopes. We have devices to perform imaging of both the animal model and the human model. Those are positron emission tomography devices.
We also have magnetic resonance imaging devices and other high technologies that enable us to perform imaging.
Ours is a unique laboratory that enable us to take an isotope—a radioactive substance—and apply it to a disease.