News Brief

GE HealthCare and Erasmus MC Collaborate to Advance Total Body PET/CT for Precision Cancer Care

Published Date: October 6, 2025
By News Release

GE HealthCare has announced a strategic collaboration with Erasmus MC University Medical Center to evaluate a next-generation total body PET/CT technology aimed at improving disease detection, treatment planning, and long-term patient monitoring. The effort brings together GE HealthCare’s imaging innovations with Erasmus MC’s leadership in theranostics and personalized care.

Accurate and early diagnosis is especially critical in oncology, where over 10 million new cancer cases are diagnosed each year globally. Total body PET/CT offers the potential to detect disease with greater sensitivity and lower radiation exposure, while also enabling clinicians to tailor treatments more precisely to each patient’s needs.

Erasmus MC is a global leader in theranostics, having played a key role in the early clinical use of treatments like In-111-Octreotide and Lu-177-Dotatate. Today, the center continues to lead in translational imaging and radiopharmacy.

“We’re embracing cutting-edge technology not just to improve care—but to transform it,” said Prof. Dr. Aad van der Lugt, Chair of the Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine. “Our goal is to scan more patients, faster and with dramatically lower radiation dose. At the same time, these innovations open the door to groundbreaking research that brings us closer to truly personalized care and treatment.”

The partnership centers on GE HealthCare’s total body PET/CT platform, which features a 128 cm axial field of view, ultra-high sensitivity, and support for multi-organ dynamic imaging. Researchers will explore its use in oncology and theranostics with a focus on protocol optimization, dose reduction, and novel radiotracer imaging, including tracers like zirconium (Zr) and copper (Cu).

“We’re working to build the molecular imaging department of 2035 — today,” added Prof. Erik Verburg, Professor of Translational Imaging at Erasmus MC. “We expect this technology to streamline workflows and open new frontiers in PET imaging.”

According to GE HealthCare, the new platform is also designed to support improved operational efficiency through deep learning-based software, while enabling faster, lower-dose imaging.

The collaboration builds on Erasmus MC’s existing investment in GE HealthCare’s imaging portfolio, including:

  • PETtrace 800 cyclotron, for on-site production of precision radiotracers.

  • SIGNA PET/MR, for motion-free, high-resolution imaging across complex care needs.

  • Omni Legend, a 32 cm PET/CT system that delivers more than twice the sensitivity of prior-generation scanners, with scan times reduced from 20 to under 10 minutes.

  • Precision DL, a deep learning tool that enhances detectability of small, low-contrast lesions.

  • StarGuide SPECT/CT, for high-resolution lesion mapping and therapy monitoring.

Jean-Luc Procaccini, President and CEO of GE HealthCare’s Molecular Imaging and CT division, emphasized the significance of the collaboration: “We are thrilled to work with Erasmus MC’s cohort of seasoned researchers and clinicians... Together, we are making giant leaps forward in what we expect will be a key innovation in the practice of precision care for the next several decades.”

This work also supports Thera4Care, an initiative dedicated to expanding access to theranostic imaging and treatments across Europe. By combining advanced tools, clinical expertise, and research infrastructure, GE HealthCare and Erasmus MC aim to shape the future of molecular imaging and transform cancer care outcomes.