USC Researchers Received Grant for Cancer Imaging Tool

The National Institutes of Health awarded $2.6 million to fund a new platform for creating PET scan radiotracers.

Updated on Sept. 23, 2026 in Cancer

Isometric editorial illustration of a single microfluidic chip on a laboratory surface, representing medical diagnostic technology. — Researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of USC have received a $2.6 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to develop a compact PET scan radiotracer production platform. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of USC have begun developing a compact, plug-and-play device to simplify the production of PET scan radiotracers. The project is supported by a $2.6 million grant from the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering.

Why it matters

Currently, producing radiotracers requires specialized facilities and time-consuming labor, which limits their availability. This new platform aims to reduce costs and resources by utilizing a small chip to merge radioactive materials with molecules.

The National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering provided a $2.6 million grant to support this four-year research project. Researchers are currently focusing their testing on radiotracers for liver and prostate cancer.

The players

Keck School of Medicine of USC

This medical school serves as the lead institution for the new radiotracer platform project.

National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering

This federal agency provided the $2.6 million grant to support the development of the imaging technology.

UCLA

This university is acting as a collaborating institution on the cancer imaging research.

The details

The project team is building a device that leverages click chemistry and droplet radiochemistry to combine radioactive building blocks within a tiny chip. The study, which includes collaborators from UCLA, aims to streamline the creation of essential diagnostic tracers.

September 22, 2026: The development of the project and grant details were publicly announced.
Next 1-2 years: The team will focus on optimizing the device and conducting initial radiotracer testing.

The Big Picture

This project follows the established pattern of National Institutes of Health R01-supported innovation aimed at improving medical imaging diagnostics.

By reducing the cost and complexity of radiotracer production, this platform could eventually make diagnostic PET scans more accessible to patients. The research aims to streamline supply chains for hospitals that currently rely on expensive, large-scale production facilities.

The takeaway

This new technology marks a significant shift toward miniaturized radiochemistry, which could lower barriers to entry for diagnostic imaging. Implementation of these compact systems may eventually decentralize the production of life-saving medical tracers.