The positron emission tomography (PET), as a cutting-edge disease detection technology, plays an important role in the medical detection fields such as for the nervous system diseases, the cancer and the cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, with a great economic value. This paper concerns three core components of the PET, as is different from the mainstream direction of the PET technology analysis. With the patent analysis as the starting point, comparing the status quo of the PET patent applications at home and abroad, it is found that the patent core applicants in China have uncoordinated structures, with differences in the research levels between the east and the west, and relatively insufficient research levels. A structural reform of the PET industry is proposed, with several reform measures for the government, the society, the enterprises, the universities and the research institutes.

positron emission tomography  /  patent  /  industry-academia-research  /  intellectual property rights