KEY TAKEAWAYS: Flourish Research partnered with Metairie-based Capitol Imaging Services on a new imaging center in Gainesville, Georgia. The facility will feature a GE HealthCare Omni PET scanner for clinical research and diagnostic imaging. Capitol Imaging Services will manage scheduling, ret ail booking and community outreach operations. The partnership aims to expand oncology and CNS clinical trial imaging capabilities across the Southeast.   Flourish Research is partnering with Metairie-based Capitol Imaging Services ahead of the planned opening of a new advanced imaging center in Gainesville, Georgia, a move the company says will expand clinical trial imaging capabilities and improve local access to diagnostic services. The Apex, North Carolina-based clinical trial network announced the partnership in late February as it prepares to launch Flourish Imaging, a facility currently under development in Gainesville. The center will feature a GE HealthCare Omni PET scanner designed to support both clinical research and community imaging needs. Under the agreement, Capitol Imaging Services will oversee retail booking, scheduling and community outreach for the Gainesville facility. The companies said the arrangement is intended to streamline access to PET imaging services for physicians and patients across the region. Flourish Research said the imaging center will strengthen its infrastructure for oncology and central nervous system clinical trials by adding advanced molecular imaging capabilities. The company said the GE Omni PET scanner will support high-resolution imaging used in tracer studies and other research requiring complex imaging endpoints. “Our partnership with Capitol Imaging Services is an important step as we prepare to launch Flourish Imaging,” Reinhold Schulz, CEO of Flourish Research, said in a statement. “By investing in advanced PET imaging and aligning with an experienced imaging services partner, we are building a center that will advance clinical research capabilities while also expanding access to state-of-the-art diagnostic imaging for the Gainesville community.” John Stagg, CEO of Capitol Imaging Services, said the partnership could also create opportunities for broader expansion across the Southeast. “The newly established partnership with Flourish will certainly be a focal point of collaboration in Gainesville for patients, providers, and clinical research organizations,” Stagg said. “Our organizations also look forward to the relationship growing across the Southeast to expand imaging and therapy capabilities for sponsors looking to provide new and exciting advancements in clinical areas like oncology and CNS through cutting edge technology.” The companies said clinical trial and retail imaging services will begin following installation and final commissioning of the PET scanner. Flourish Research operates more than 30 wholly owned clinical trial sites across North America, conducting Phase I through IV studies in areas including oncology, neuroscience, cardiovascular disease and metabolic disorders. Capitol Imaging Services operates 58 imaging locations across six Southeastern states and provides diagnostic imaging services for patients, health care providers and clinical research organizations. ...read more read less