Event Details

PET Basics course will take place on 23–25 March 2026, a free and interdisciplinary introduction to PET imaging designed for clinicians, researchers, and students

Dates: 23.3.–25.3.2026
Place: Haartman Lecture Hall (TG1) and https://utu.zoom.us/j/61706040087
Organiser: Turku PET Centre
Language: English
Target attendees: Physicians, scientists, PhD students, all interested in PET

Course is free of charge and worth of 2.0 credits for MSc and PhD degree, and 15 h for MD specialist’s degree. Positron emission tomography (PET) is non–invasive and quantitative imaging modality using molecules labelled with positron–emitting radioisotopes in tracer quantities (i.e. without pharmacological effect) to visualize and measure rates of biochemical processes (e.g. enzyme reactions, ligand–receptor interactions, cellular metabolism, cell proliferation, gene expression) in tissues of living subjects. Therefore, PET is an important tool to elucidate mechanisms associated with diseases and drug actions. The course aims to provide students with a broad and general introduction to the PET imaging. The main purpose of this course is to enable students to understand the interdisciplinary nature of PET imaging. After the course one should have basic knowledge of the PET imaging field of its physics, radiochemistry, and data analysis, research and clinical applications.

Please note: degree students enroll in Peppi (PGS_1709–3007)
Please register latest March 9, 2026 to Minna Kangasperko, minna.kangasperko@utu.fi
Further information: Assoc Prof Riku Klén, riku.klen@utu.fi
FULL PROGRAM OF THE COURSE

Monday 23.3.2026

Haartman Lecture Hall of T Hospital, (Building 18, 1st floor)
8.45–9.15 Ilkka Heinonen Introduction of PET and Turku PET Centre
9.15–9.45 Virva Saunavaara Radiation physics and safety
9.45–10.15 Virva Saunavaara PET instrumentation
10.15–10.30 Break
10.30–11.00 Anu Airaksinen Introduction to radiopharmaceutical chemistry
11.00–11.30 Mikael Bergelin Production of PET radionuclides
11.30–12.30 Break
12.30–13.00 Semi Helin Carbon–11 and oxygen–15 radiochemistry
13.00–13.30 Anu Airaksinen Fluorine–18 radiochemistry
13.30–14.00 Xiang–Guo Li Radiochemistry of radiometals: 68Ga, 64Cu and 89Zr
14.00–14.15 Break
14.15–14.45 Riikka Kivelä Radiopharmacy and GMP guidelines for PET
14.45–15.15 Jarkko Johansson Image acquisition and reconstruction
15.15–17.00 Visit to cyclotron and radiochemistry laboratory, and PET scanners and clinical
chemistry laboratory PET Centre (building 14)

Tuesday 24.3.2026

Haartman Leccture Hall of T Hospital, (Building 18, 1st floor)
9.00–9.30 Sergey Nesterov Information technologies and image analysis in PET
9.30–10.00 Richard Aarnio Radiometabolism of PET tracers
10.00–10.15 Break
10.15–11.15 Marco Bucci Quantification of PET
11.15–12.15 Break
12.15–12.45 Marcus Sucksdorff Imaging of neuroinflammation with PET
12.45–13.15 Lauri Nummenmaa Statistical analysis of brain–PET data
13.15–13.45 Kirsi Virtanen Brown adipose tissue imaging in humans
13.45–14.00 Break
14.00–14.30 Pirjo Nuutila Quantitative PET imaging of metabolic diseases
14.30–15.00 Jukka Kemppainen PET in cancer diagnosis and therapy
15.00–15.30 Marko Seppänen PET in the diagnosis of neuroendocrine tumors
15.30–17.00 Visit to preclinical laboratories, BioCity, Tykistökatu 6

Wednesday 25.3.2026

Haartman Lecture Hall of T Hospital, (Building 18, 1st floor)
9.00–9.30 Tove Grönroos Small animal imaging and pre–clinical evaluation of PET tracers
9.30–10.00 Mia Ståhle Preclinical cardiovascular research
10.00–10.15 Break
10.15–10.45 Jussi Hirvonen Neurotransmitter systems studied with PET
10.45–11.15 Juha Rinne PET in clinical neurology
11.15–12.15 Break
12.15–12.45 Juhani Knuuti PET in clinical cardiology
12.45–13.15 Kari Kalliokoski Imaging of exercise responses with PET
13.15–13.30 Break
13.30–14.00 Simona Malaspina PET imaging of infection/inflammation
14.00–14.30 Jukka Kemppainen Oncological research
14.30–15.00 Eleni Rebelos Biomarkers of renal imaging
15.00–15.15 Riku Klén Closing words