Radiopharmaceutical developer Ground Fluor Pharmaceuticals has received a $728,000 phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant.  The grant will be used to expand research and product development of the company’s proprietary chemistry for the production of F-18 fluorodopa, a PET imaging agent intended for diagnosing and managing brain tumors (such as astrocytomas and gliomas) and Parkinson’s disease.  {read more here}

Japanese researchers have found that several PET/CT parameters — in particular, a ring-shaped area of FDG uptake — are reliable predictors of survival for patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Results of their study were published in the April issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology. {read more here}

In an innovative and dynamic period for the healthcare industry, high CEO turnover, leaders from outside the traditional realm and C-suite changes bring new skills and fresh blood into hospitals and healthcare systems, according to a Hospitals & Health Networks post by Mary Grayson. {read more here}

Patient visits were up 23 percent in 2013 over the prior year at  diagnostic imaging centers featured on this week’s list.   Administrators at the imaging centers cite the addition of facilities and doctors for the increase.  However, additional insurance company oversight is making it more difficult for some physicians to have imaging services approved. {read more here}