Services and Pricing

Workflow

Prospective PET Imaging Core Facility users should first contact the core to schedule preliminary consultation to determine if their experimental goals and needs can be fulfilled. Further steps will be outlined within the consultation. Please see the figure to determine where you currently are in the overall core workflow.

Experimental Notice: Currently the core is only able to accommodate animal studies for mice. In the future, we will have the physical resources to conduct studies on rats and other small rodents. We apologize if this impedes your experimental goals. If you wish to conduct experiments with rats, please still contact the core so we may keep that on record.

Consultation

Initial exploratory consultation with core personnel is free of charge. Substantial consultation and planning regarding experimental design, protocol research and development, and other more extensive matters will result in billing. Core users will be made aware of these charges before consenting to further consultation.

Radiosynthesis

Due to the complex nature and large number of variables at play, the core cannot provide set rates and costs for radiosynthesis. The cost of synthesis and production of radiolabeled compounds will be discussed in the consultation phase. Users will be responsible for the cost of isotopes, labor, and most other reagents.

PET

Hourly rate to use PET scanner without assistance. Assistance is an additional $40 per hour. Subject to change depending on the nature of the work and supplemental funding to core.

• University of Nebraska system core user: $90/hour
• Non-University of Nebraska system core user: $135/hour

CT Scan

Hourly rate to use CT scanner without assistance. Assistance is an additional $40 per hour. Subject to change depending on the nature of the work and supplemental funding to core.

• University of Nebraska system core user: $100/hour
• Non-University of Nebraska system core user: $150/hour

Eligible Isotopes

Isotopes available under PET radioactive license and protocol:

• Fluorine F-18 
  • Half-life: 109.7 minutes
  • Price estimate: $10/mCi
• Zirconium Zr-89
  • Half-life: 78.4 hours
  • Price estimate: $100/mCi
• Copper CU-64
  • Half-life: 12.7 hours
  • Price estimate: $40/mCi
• Gallium GA-68
  • Half-life: 67.7 minutes

Other PET and/or CT isotopes can be used if permissible under a core user's license. Further protocol adjustments will need to be taken to accommodate such use.

Vendors (all listed in e-Shop)

• CardinalHealth Radiopharmacy—Cyclotron in Omaha
• Washington University in St. Louis—Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology
• Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Animal Handling

Researchers must develop and establish an IACUC approved animal research protocol as well as a Comparative Medicine (CM) operational safety protocol (OSP).The work and costs associated with animal handling will be discussed and decided upon during the consultation.