Plans for building the solution stretch back to 2005 when Cherry and his colleague, Ramsey D. Badawi, professor and molecular imaging chair in radiology at UC Davis, first thought of the idea.

The two launched the project in 2006, which ran into a big break in 2015 when the National Institutes of Health awarded Cherry and Badawi a five-year grant of $15.5 million for the endeavor. The researchers then conducted an extensive search for a vendor to partner with in building a prototype of the machine, finally selecting UIH America, a North American subsidiary of Shanghai United Imaging Healthcare, which made its U.S. market debut at the 2018 Radiological Society of North America conference.


Upon its completion, the prototype underwent testing, producing its first images in November 2018, an experience that “stunned” Cherry as he gazed at the very first scans made by the machine. He attests, though, that further study will need to be conducted around its applications.

“Our focus is now shifting from the technology to the applications, both in research and clinical use. The EXPLORER scanner opens up many new opportunities, and careful studies will need to be done to quantify the improvements and benefits across these different application areas,” he said. “While I'm sure there will be further technological improvements that will be developed in academia and industry, we believe the greatest impact now will come from using the unique capabilities of the EXPLORER scanner to expand the range of applications of PET.”

Distribution of uEXPLORER is slated to begin at some point in early 2019.

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