A medical imaging device called 'positron emission tomography' or PET is helping doctors detect cancer and brain diseases. Now the first digital PET has been developed at China's Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan. It's expected to better fight serious diseases - at a lower cost.

In early November, Professor Xie Qingguo and his team conducted full digital PET for online proton beam monitoring in Taiwan Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, which has the largest and most advanced proton radiotherapy center in Asia.

PROFESSOR XIE QINGGUO COLLEGE OF LIFE SCIENCES & TECHNOLOGY, HUST This is the first time in human history that we monitored how the proton produced oxygen-15 on a rat. This is really exciting. It has proven two things about digital PET: to help the proton knife locate where to hit and where it actually hits. In the past we used CT. The problem with CT is that tumors can bring damage to the area in question and decrease electron density. As a result, the tumor might have moved. If you use digital PET, you can see exactly where the tumor is. Secondly, when the proton enters the body, by examining oxygen-15, nitrogen-13, carbon-11, we can figure out where it is.

The Mediterranean Institute of Neuroscience in Italy's Molise is the world's top brain science research center with rich clinical experience. In July, the Italian Brain Science Research Center formed a collaboration with HUST to establish a digital PET Research Center for the research of brain science.

PROFESSOR NICOLA D'ASCENZO Now the frontier of the clinical technique, the frontier of the medicine, is to detect it much earlier. This is where our key technology, the digital PET, will make this contribution. In this kind of combination, connectivity and molecular, we are unique in the world.

So far, digital PET has formed the high ground of medical imaging science to attract top foreign scientists.

PROFESSOR VALERI SAVELIEV I think China should take this responsibility, take this development by Professor Xie, really into clinical practice.

The full clinical digital PET is currently in the process of instalment at the Affiliated Hospital of Zhongshan University in Guangzhou. It has begun to carry out China Food and Drug Administration clinical trials. The formal starting up of the first digital PET will take place in early 2018. Gong Xuejuan and Yang Bo from Wuhan TV for CGTN.