RESTON, Va.—SNM—an international scientific and professional organization of more than 16,000 members dedicated to promoting the practical applications, technology and science of molecular imaging and nuclear medicine—has awarded $170,000 in research grants to support nuclear medicine and molecular imaging research. The awards, supported by SNM's Education and Research Foundation, were announced at SNM's 55th Annual Meeting, held in New Orleans, La.
"These grants provide researchers with critical support for research and training in molecular imaging and nuclear medicine," said Robert W. Atcher, Ph.D., M.B.A., president of SNM and emerging medical technology team leader at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico. "We appreciate the continued support from individual donors—support that is essential to providing the means and environment for the next generation of researchers who, in turn, will further advance the diagnostic tools and treatments that we provide for our patients."
"SNM is proud to provide funding for independent research projects," said Mathew Thakur, Ph.D., professor of radiology at Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, who was chair of SNM's Molecular Imaging Center of Excellence Grants and Awards Task Force at the time of the selection. "A team of independent experts carefully examines the scientific merit and evaluates the potential for innovation and impact on health care when selecting research projects. This year's talent was especially promising in the field of molecular imaging and nuclear medicine."
Brienne Bottenus of the University of Missouri–Columbia was named the Bradley-Alavi Fellow. Researchers who received the SNM Student Fellowship Award are Marc Normandin, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis; Andrew Hsu, Stanford University; Thomas Ng, California Institute of Technology; Freddie Daver, University of California, Los Angeles; Neil Saigal, University of California, Irvine; Ethan Balkin, University of Missouri–Columbia; Nicholas Salem, University Hospitals Case Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio; Robert Doot, University of Washington, Seattle; and Julie Smith, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas. The SNM Student Fellowship Awards support promising students' full-time participation in clinical and basic research activities in molecular imaging and nuclear medicine.
This year's recipient of the prestigious Mitzi and William Blahd, M.D., Pilot Research Grant is Zongjin Li from Stanford University. This $25,000 honor, which will enable Li to explore research on the use of molecular imaging to differentiate stem cell functions, honors the Blahds' dedication to philanthropic support for education and research in nuclear medicine.
SNM Pilot Research Grants help support clinical and basic research by young investigators interested in testing innovative ideas. Recipients of SNM Pilot Research Grants, each $25,000, are Zhen Cheng, Stanford University, for work in the use of imaging and engineered small proteins; Wendol Williams, Yale University, to examine serotonin levels in post-traumatic stress disorder; and Akhilesh Sista, University of California, San Francisco, to evaluate 18F-fluoromisonidazole as an imaging biomarker for tuberculosis.
The recipient of this year's $25,000 SNM Covidien Seed Grant in Nuclear Medicine Research is Victor Cheng at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, for the study of the potential of a fatty diet to reduce myocardial uptake during flourine-18-labeled deoxyglucose positron emission tomography.
Several authors will share the honor of the Siemens Award for Excellence in Practice-Based Research, totaling $15,000 in prize money. The researchers recognized are: Michael K. O'Connor, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.; Daniel Mollura, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore; Karen Gulenchyn, McMaster University, Ottawa, Canada; Wim Oyen, Radboud University, Nijmegan Medical Center, Netherlands; Matthias Benz, University of California, Los Angeles; Andreas Buck, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia; and Wengen Chen, also from The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
The application deadlines for SNM's 2009 Research Grants are scheduled for late winter 2009. More information about the awards, along with the application forms, is available at www.snm.org/grants.
About SNM—Advancing Molecular Imaging and Therapy
SNM is an international scientific and medical organization dedicated to raising public awareness about what molecular imaging is and how it can help provide patients with the best health care possible. SNM members specialize in molecular imaging, a vital element of today's medical practice that adds an additional dimension to diagnosis, changing the way common and devastating diseases are understood and treated.
SNM's more than 16,000 members set the standard for molecular imaging and nuclear medicine practice by creating guidelines, sharing information through journals and meetings and leading advocacy on key issues that affect molecular imaging and therapy research and practice. For more information, visit www.snm.org.