A PET-Trace cyclotron (GE HealthCare) has recently been installed in the Brigham and Women's Hospital. The cyclotron is housed in a new Bioimaging Core (BICOR) building that is located adjacent to the Thorn Research Building. The cyclotron produces short-lived radioisotopes (11C, 13N, 15O, and 18F) needed for medical imaging using positron-emission tomography (PET). PET imaging is a rapidly growing imaging modality that allows visualization of biochemical processes in the body by use of PET-isotope tagged "tracers." The tracers show important functional processes in the body, such as the status of neuroreceptors in the brain, extent and degree of malignancy of cancer, and blood flow and metabolic activity in the heart. The presence of the cyclotron at the Brigham and Women's Hospital provides an opportunity to advance noninvasive medical diagnostics in areas such as oncology, cardiovascular disease, and neurology, providing benefits to the local hospitals and the Boston community. The staff of the cyclotron facility includes experienced JPNM radiochemists and radiopharmacists capable of developing novel PET imaging tracers to expand the scope of functional medical imaging at the Brigham and surrounding medical institutions.

The Joint Program in Nuclear Medicine Radiopharmacy has developed as a major distribution site for both diagnostic and therapeutic radiopharmaceutical products and professional nuclear pharmacy services for the Program members, including Brigham & Women's Hospital, Children's Hospital and Dana Farber Cancer Institute.

The JPNM Radiopharmacy is a non-profit entity and complies with all institutional, state, and federal regulations governing dispensing of radioactive materials for human use. Agents supplied to the members are of the highest quality available at the most competitive pricing achieved through the advantage of volume purchasing that is unavailable to individual member institutions. Any rebates derived from efficient operation and practice are returned to the members at the end of the year.

The JPNM Radiopharmacy is also a resource for rarely used, non-routine, investigative or non-commercially available radiopharmaceutical agents. It provides advanced research facilities for the support of investigative clinical studies involving research radiopharmaceuticals and for the conduct of basic research and development in radiopharmaceutical chemistry in the design and evaluation of potential diagnostic and therapeutic agents.

The Radiopharmacy is also active as a locus for the training of residents, fellows, nuclear pharmacists, nuclear medicine technologists and other health care professionals. Full didactics in radiopharmaceutical chemistry and nuclear pharmacy, including practical laboratory experience, are provided annually. Such training is designed to meet the requirements of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, and the relevant medical specialty boards.