Scotland’s first photon-counting CT set to advance multi-organ research and enhance patient diagnosis and care

The University of Edinburgh has become the first institution in Scotland to install a photon-counting CT scanner from Siemens Healthineers. The Naeotom Alpha with Quantum Technology, joint funded by the university and the British Heart Foundation (BHF), is said to represent a step-change in imaging, and is one of only a handful of its kind currently in operation in the UK. This advanced system will support the university’s cardiovascular and neurological research, providing ultra high resolution and spectral imaging data that enhances precision in diagnosing and studying conditions affecting the heart, lungs, brain and blood vessels.

The scanner will play a central role in advancing cardiovascular studies, including projects like SCOT-HEART 2, a BHF-funded trial investigating how coronary CT angiography can help prevent heart attacks by identifying risk earlier than standard assessments. The imaging capabilities of the scanner will enable scientists to visualise the heart and blood vessels in detail.

Professor of cardiovascular imaging Michelle Williams said: “This is the next generation of CT scanning. For the first time, we can see structures and processes in the body that were not previously visible. The ultra high resolution capabilities of the Naeotom Alpha will not only make existing diagnoses more accurate but also open entirely new avenues for discovery, transforming how we understand and study disease.”

Picture: Siemens Healthineers Great Britain and Ireland regional sales manager Brian Kane, professor of cardiovascular imaging Michelle Williams and specialist radiographer Patrycja Grabacz.

Read this report on page 6 of the May 2026 issue of RAD Magazine.