From June 24th to 27th, 2023, the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) held its annual conference in Chicago, United States. During this top-level academic conference in the field of nuclear medicine, Professor Sijin.Li, former chair of the Nuclear Medicine Branch of the Chinese Medical Association and President of Shanxi Medical University, as a partner of United-imaging, announced a breakthrough technology called PMENN. unveiled a groundbreaking technology called PMENN. It is the world’s first integrated real-time synchronous brain imaging device that combines nuclear magnetic resonance and opto-electrophysiology, marking a significant breakthrough in the field of multimodal brain imaging equipment.

The development of PMENN stemmed from the clinical challenges faced in current research on neurological disorders. Obtaining multiple modalities of information is typically required for the basic and clinical study of brain and neurological diseases. However, conventional examinations only provide single or dual-modal information in a single scan.

To address these challenges, Professor Sijin Li innovatively proposed the scientific concept of “nuclear, magnetic, optical, electrical, and multimodal” fusion and synchronization imaging. PMENN enables the real-time synchronization imaging of five modalities of information presented by PET, MR, EEG, ET, and NIRS, encompassing nuclear medicine functional metabolism, magnetic resonance anatomy, brain electrical information, eye-brain connectivity, and near-infrared spectroscopy. This pioneering fusion technology endows PMENN with various advantages. It achieves real-time, synchronous, high-resolution, and multidimensional observation of brain neural activity, enabling the acquisition of multiple types of information, such as target metabolism, structural information, eye movement tracking connections, neural discharges, and changes in oxygenated hemoglobin in the region of interest in a single scan. This breakthrough will assist in obtaining brain-related information more efficiently, accurately, and comprehensively, providing technical support for both basic research and clinical practice. By superimposing information provided by different modalities, PMENN generates fusion images of the five modalities, overcoming the limitations of poor matching accuracy and inconsistent patient states associated with traditional multiple scanning examinations.

Currently, the research on PMENN is in its final stages, and the first five-modal integrated device is about to be completed for clinical validation. In the future, it will lay a solid foundation for conducting brain science research in the human population.

PMENN has attracted attention in the field of nuclear medicine. At SNMMI, Dr. Chuan Huang, Director of the PET/MR Research Center at Emory University and former chair of SNMMI’s symposium, highly praised PMENN, stating, “PMEEN offers an one-stop comprehensive solution for exploring brain function. PMEEN could be used for early diagnosis, treatment planning of neuropsychiatric diseases in both clinical and research setting. I believe it could be the tool to help the neuroscientists to gain in-depth understanding of neural function by combining electrical, blood functional, molecular and anatomical information.”

In addition, during the SNMMI conference, President Sijin Li led the completion and presentation of multiple posters, including research on B-cell lymphoma treatment evaluation based on nuclear medicine, acute myocardial infarction, and salivary gland injury in thyroid cancer patients.