Shared on behalf of Lakehead University
Ultra‑Sensitive Organ‑Targeted Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Technology: Transforming the Way Breast Cancer Is Detected in Women at High Risk of Developing the Disease
Date: Monday, April 27, 2026
Time: 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Location: Livestream. To register, click HERE.
In this lecture, Dr. Reznik will explore how advances in ultra‑sensitive, organ‑targeted Positron Emission Tomography (PET) imaging are transforming the way breast cancer is detected in women at high risk of developing the disease. It will trace the development of a breast‑dedicated PET imaging technology, from fundamental solid‑state physics and detector design in the laboratory to patient‑centred clinical translation, culminating in an FDA‑ and Health Canada–approved, commercially available PET scanner now used in cancer care. Innovation in detector and system design, imaging electronics, image reconstruction hardware and software, and clinical validation is driven by trainees at multiple levels -undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and research assistants, working closely with clinical and industry partners. The talk will highlight how this collaborative, trainee‑powered research enterprise is enabling more precise, lower‑dose, and more accessible breast imaging to improve early cancer detection and support more personalized treatment decisions.
Dr. Alla Reznik is a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Physics of Radiation Medical Imaging and a Professor in the Department of Physics at Lakehead University. She also serves as a Senior Scientist at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Research Institute (TBRHRI). She specializes in photoconductive materials and technologies for radiation medical imaging, with a focus on organ‑targeted Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and low‑dose x‑ray imaging detectors. She is dedicated to advancing radiation medical imaging technologies to achieve higher diagnostic accuracy while making them more affordable for healthcare systems and more accessible for patients, thereby improving patient outcomes. Her work bridges the gap between fundamental physics research and practical healthcare solutions by promoting knowledge transfer and collaboration among academia, industry, and healthcare institutions. Dr. Reznik’s program of research on organ‑targeted PET has led to the establishment of Radialis Inc., a Lakehead/TBRHRI spin‑off company that produces a commercial breast‑dedicated PET system based on the technology developed by her research group for breast cancer detection.