February 17, 2014

Radioactive [PET] tracers map spread of HIV analogue

The scientists tagged SIV antibodies, which bind to the outer envelope of the virus, with copper-64, a radioactive isotope used in experimental radiotherapy against cancer. The isotopes emit signals that can be captured using scanning techniques called positron-emission tomography (PET) and computed tomography (CT) — both widely used in modern hospitals. {read more here}