Reston, Va.—Mathew L. Thakur, a molecular imaging pioneer who has helped change the shape of modern medicine, was awarded the 2008 Benedict Cassen Prize during SNM's 55th Annual Meeting in New Orleans, La. This biennial honor, awarded by SNM's Education and Research Foundation (ERF), is presented to a living scientist or physician/scientist whose work has led to a major advance in basic or clinical nuclear medicine science.
Thakur, a professor of radiology and radiation oncology at Thomas Jefferson University (TJU) Medical College in Philadelphia, Pa., since 1982, has focused on developing and evaluating radiopharmaceuticals for diagnostic imaging and therapy. A director of radiopharmaceutical research and nuclear medicine research at TJU and a member of the Kimmel Cancer Center, he has produced and isolated many medically useful radionuclides and has been instrumental in the preparation of several novel radiopharmaceuticals. He holds a number of patents as a result of his work.
"In science, nothing is more gratifying and encouraging than recognition by peers," said Thakur. Noting the myriad advances that have occurred during his career, he added: "As Baron Leslie Arnold Turnberg, a British medical professional, observed, medicine will change more in the next 20 years than it has in the past two thousand, and molecular imaging is playing a pivotal role in that."
"Dr. Thakur's research has truly advanced excellence in health care, the primary mission of the Education and Research Foundation," said Sue Weiss, ERF executive director. "His work has placed him among an elite group of only eight other researchers who have been awarded the Cassen Prize for their notable achievements," added Weiss, indicating that ERF has funded more than $1.5 million in research over the years for the molecular imaging/nuclear medicine community.
Thakur, who addressed "Genomic Biomarkers for Molecular Imaging: Predicting the Future" at a plenary session given during SNM's Annual Meeting, began his career at Hammersmith Hospital in London, United Kingdom, where he successfully labeled white blood cells with 111In-oxine (111In). The ability to label white blood cells revolutionized the detection of infection, tumors, cardiovascular diseases and thromboembolism. He then began researching radiolabled monoclonal antibodies, which, in addition to being instrumental in detecting infection, reduce the risk of contamination—a critical consideration when imaging patients with infections, especially HIV.
The Cassen recipient's current research interests include the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer, prostate cancer and pancreatic cancer and the development of imaging techniques for venous thrombosis, pulmonary embolism and gene expression. One of his newer radiopharmaceuticals has the potential to replace 111In for use in many nuclear medicine procedures. This radiopharmaceutical is a directly injectable Tc-99m-labeled monoclonal antibody that avidly binds to human neutrophils—the most abundant type of white blood cells in humans, which form an essential part of the immune system—and detects infection rapidly and efficiently.
Thakur received a bachelor's degree in chemistry from Bombay University, India, and a master's degree in analytical chemistry and a doctorate in radiochemistry from London University, U.K. He was visiting scholar at the Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Mo., and associate professor of radiology at the Yale University School of Medicine. In addition, Thakur is a member of several editorial boards, including The International Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Biology, The Journal of Nuclear Medicine and The European Journal of Nuclear Medicine. He has published 158 papers, 148 abstracts, four books and 39 book chapters. He reviews research grant proposals for national, federal and international granting agencies and charitable trusts and has been a member of the National Institutes of Health Study Section, the Thomas Jefferson Internal Review Board and the advisory committee to the United States Pharmacopeia Committee. He served as SNM president from 2004 to 2005 and as the first president of SNM's Molecular Imaging Center of Excellence from 2005 to 2006.
Thakur has received numerous awards recognizing his outstanding contributions to the fields of nuclear medicine and chemistry, including the American Chemical Society Maurice Chamberland Award, SNM's Paul Aebersold Award, SNM's Georg de Hevesy Award, the Society of Nuclear Medicine–India's V. Sarabhai Oration Award and the Indo-American Society of Nuclear Medicine Lifetime Achievement Award.
"Science is an ounce of inspiration and a pound of perspiration. In all five major institutions where I have worked, I have been fortunate to work side by side with individuals who inspired me to accomplish our goals," said Thakur. "I thank them all from the bottom of my heart."
Considered the equivalent of a Nobel Prize in nuclear medicine research, the award honors Benedict Cassen, whose invention of the rectilinear radioisotope scanner—the first instrument capable of making an image of a body organ in a patient—was seminal to the development of clinical nuclear medicine. Thakur is one of nine individuals who have been presented this prestigious $25,000 award by the ERF since 1994.
About SNM
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 17,000 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.
About the Education and Research Foundation for SNM
The Education and Research Foundation for SNM, which has been supporting the molecular imaging/nuclear medicine community since its founding in 1969, funds the Benedict Cassen Prize. The foundation's mission is to advance excellence in health care through education and research in molecular imaging/nuclear medicine by the provision of grants and awards. For more information about this award or to learn more about the foundation or making a contribution, please visit www.snm.org/grants.