The Department of Nuclear Medicine is the leading clinical and research paediatric nuclear medicine centre in Australia.
Our research is focused into three areas. We assess the extent to which nuclear medicine and bone mineral density techniques lead to improvements in patient management. We work on the development of new radiopharmaceuticals and new applications of current radiopharmaceuticals. Lastly, we research the development and/or modification of imaging equipment and techniques for new applications or improvements in current uses.
Current projects
Current Research Projects in Nuclear Medicine include:
- Normal Cerebral FDG-PET Scans in Children
- Evaluation of 18F-FET in Childhood Cerebral Tumours
- PET/CT applications in Paediatric Head and Neck Tumours
- Voxel based analysis of Normal Cerebral 18F-FDG uptake during Childhood
- Evaluation of FDG PET/CT in paediatric infection and pyrexia of unknown origin
- Application of SPECT/CT in the diagnosis of avascular necrosis in Slipped Capital Femoral Epiphysis
The research team
> Professor Robert Howman-Giles, Department Head, email: robert.howmangiles@health.nsw.gov.au
Nuclear medicine is used increasingly to both diagnose and treat a range of diseases. Robert’s research investigates how to use imaging most effectively.
Robert has published extensively on the use of nuclear medicine and bone mineral density. His major interests lie in imaging and therapy in paediatric oncology, especially PET/CT applications, skeletal, biliary and renal disorders. He has extensive experience in lymphatic mapping in children and in adult sentinel lymph node imaging in melanoma and breast cancer.
Please visit Robert's University of Sydney profile page for more information.
> Other Research Team Members
- Justine Trpzenavoski, Chief Nuclear Medicine Scientist, email: justine.trpzenavoski@health.nsw.gov.au
- Julie Briody, Senior Scientist in Nuclear Medicine, email: julie.briody@health.nsw.gov.au
- Dr David Chung, Nuclear Medicine Physician
- Dr Hamda Saleh, Nuclear Medicine Physician
- Dr Kevin London, Staff Specialist
- Theo Kitsos, Nuclear Medicine Scientist
- Daniel Armao, Nuclear Medicine Technician
- Catriona Green, Nuclear Medicine Scientist
- Kayla Rogerson, Nuclear Medicine Scientist
- Vijay Kumar, Principal Scientist
Key publications
London K, Howman-Giles R (2014) Normal Cerebral FDG uptake during childhood. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging 41(4):723-35
Rana M, Munns CF, Selvadurai H, Briody J, Craig ME (2013) The impact of dysglycaemia on bone mineral accrual in young people with cystic fibrosis. Clinical Endocrinology 78(1):36-42
Biggin A, Briody JN, Ormshaw E, Wong KKY, Bennetts BH, Munns CF (2013) Fracture during intravenous bisphosphonate treatment in a child with osteogenesis imperfecta: an argument for a more frequent, low-dose treatment regimen. Hormone Research in Pediatrics
Biggin, Briody J, Ramjan, Middleton, Waugh M-C & Munns C (2013). Evaluation of bone mineral density and morphology using pQCT in children after spinal cord injury. Developmental Neurorehabilitation
