Dr. Barrio, professor of molecular and medical pharmacology at the University of California at Los Angeles, has made his life's work a continuing search for increasingly sensitive molecular imaging probes for identifying and tracking brain chemicals and pathological markers in vivo and establishing their roles in human disease. This has resulted in a number of important findings relating to Parkinson's and Alzheimer's Disease. The first PET study on the visualization of plaques in the living brain of an Alzheimer's disease patient was selected Image of the Year in 2001 by the SNM. More than 200 published journal articles report his findings.
Dr. Barrio actively supports nuclear medicine research. In addition to serving on a number of SNM committees, including government relations and FDA Radiopharmaceuticals, he is editor-in-chief of Molecular Imaging and Biology and a member of the Division of Drug Information (US Pharmacopoeia). He is a member of the National Academy of Pharmacy and Biochemistry (Argentina) and the Spanish Society of Nuclear Medicine. He is also a former president of the UCLA chapter of Sigma Xi, the international scientific and engineering research society. He has also led the effort to obtain FDA approval of new clinical indications for PET imaging in the diagnosis of cancer, cardiovascular and neurological diseases.
Educated at the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and the University of Illinois, Urbana, Dr. Barrio assisted in research and teaching at both institutions before joining the UCLA faculty in 1979. Today he chairs the university's Medical Radiation Safety and Radiation Drug Research committees.
Paul C. Aebersold was a pioneer in the biologic and medical application of radioactive materials and the first director of the Atomic Energy Commission's Division of Isotope Development at Oak Ridge, TN. The award that bears his name has been given annually since 1973 to honor those who follow in his footsteps.
The Society of Nuclear Medicine Annual Meeting is being held June 15–19 at the Los Angeles Convention Center, Los Angeles, CA. In addition to educational sessions, the meeting will focus on leading medical developments in the field of nuclear medicine, including radioimmunotherapy with a new class of drugs that target cancer, diagnostic breakthroughs with positron emission tomography (PET), and other topics. More than 5,000 specialists in the field of nuclear medicine, including scientists, technologists, researchers, and representatives from the medical industry, are expected to attend. The Society of Nuclear Medicine is an international scientific and professional organization with more than 13,000 members dedicated to promoting the science, technology, and practical applications of nuclear medicine. The SNM is based in Reston, VA.