A research team at the University of California – Davis has received a $15.5 million grant to build the world’s first total-body positron emission tomography (PET) scanner. One could argue such scans will always find something and lead to unnecessary tests and procedures which drive up the cost of healthcare. The other side of the coin is the possibility to change the way cancers are identified and tracked. The full body scanner will be able to see things normal MRI scans cannot see. The best part is the PET scanner has the potential to reduce radiation by a factor of 40 while decreasing scanning time from 20 minutes to 30 seconds. A faster scan also might also improve the accuracy of scans because the patient is less likely to move during the short scan. See the full story here.