One of only eight MRI-PET scanners in the UK, first in Yorkshire

Fewer hospital visits for patients

Reduced travel time for patients

Faster diagnosis

Tracks progression of disease more accurately

Enables real-time treatment monitoring

Accelerates drug discovery

Greatest level of detail of inside the human body

£1.5+ million

from donations

THE VISION
As the artist’s impression shows, the new facility will be attached to the Royal Hallamshire Hospital (RHH), close to the inpatient entrance and the University’s Medical School, offering easy access for patients, clinicians and researchers. The University’s Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience (SITraN) and the Cancer Clinical Trials Centre at Weston Park Hospital are both close by.

The facility will have two entrances: one on the ground floor beside the drop-off area and another on the second floor, connecting with the University and RHH radiology services. The second floor will house a comfortable waiting area, two pre-scan patient rooms, a suite of workstations for reviewing scan images and a fully radiation-shielded space for the MRI-PET scanner itself.

Professor Dame Pamela Shaw, Founding Director of SITraN and Vice-President and Head of the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health, said, “The new MRI-PET facility will be at the heart of our medical research campus and will integrate seamlessly with the hospital buildings, offering the best of both worlds for the University and our Trust colleagues. We are looking forward to welcoming our first patients once the Sheffield Scanner is up and running.”

THE IMPACT

Lung cancer

“Approximately half of all cancer patients receive radiotherapy to shrink their tumour and kill cancer cells. However, some patients can’t have radiotherapy, or their treatment has to be limited to avoid damaging healthy tissue. This is a real problem in lung cancer, where permanent scarring from radiation could leave patients struggling with breathlessness. We are developing techniques using MRI and PET that give us much more information on these hard-to-treat tumours. Having a combined MRI-PET scanner means we can do this more quickly, helping us treat more cancer patients with radiotherapy as effectively and safely as possible.”

Dr Matthew Hatton, Consultant Clinical Oncologist, Weston Park Hospital, and Honorary Professor in Clinical Oncology, University of Sheffield

Multiple sclerosis

“Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the leading cause of disability in young adults with 12,000 people affected in the UK. It is a complex disease, and a detailed understanding of the way it affects the brain is vital for successful treatment. Traditionally, MRI has been the ‘gold standard tool’ to diagnose and monitor MS. However, PET can provide invaluable ‘functional’ information that can reveal subtle changes undetectable by MRI. With MRI-PET, we will have a precise, non-invasive imaging method that could enhance our ability to diagnose and monitor MS – something that is vital for patient-specific precision therapy. This is why the Sheffield Scanner is hugely exciting for advances in MS clinical care and clinical research.”

Professor Basil Sharrack, Consultant Neurologist
and Honorary Professor of Clinical Neurology,
University of Sheffield

Alzheimer’s disease

“Most of us know someone who has been affected by Alzheimer’s disease. Like all forms of dementia, it can be overwhelming for people who have it and for their carers and families. Our ultimate goal is to slow or even halt Alzheimer’s disease before it has taken hold. MRI-PET is the best technique there is for detecting the earliest signs of Alzheimer’s disease. It can also show reliably how novel drugs affect these subtle changes to the brain. Leading centres in the UK and internationally are already using MRI-PET to test promising new treatments for Alzheimer’s disease. The Sheffield Scanner will ensure we stay at the forefront of this vitally important work, and give patients in Yorkshire the chance to take part in pioneering clinical trials.”

Professor Annalena Venneri,Professor of Clinical Neuropsychology, University of Sheffield, and Honorary Consultant, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Visit www.sheffield.ac.uk/sheffieldscanner to keep updated on the progress of the campaign and to add your support.