Education and Research Grants Awarded to Young Scientists to Advance Molecular Imaging Research

An international scientific and professional organization of more than 16,000 members geared to promoting the practical applications, technology, and science of molecular imaging and nuclear medicine awarded US$300,000 in research grants to support molecular imaging research.

The grants, supported by the Society of Nuclear Medicine's (SNM; Restin, VA, USA) Education and Research Foundation, represent the society's commitment to advancing molecular imaging and therapy by supporting the next generation of researchers.

"SNM's awards and fellowships are integral to supporting promising young researchers working in the field of molecular imaging,” said Henry VanBrocklin, Ph.D., president of SNM's Molecular Imaging Center of Excellence and professor of radiology and biomedical imaging at the University of California, San Francisco, USA. "As a society, we have a tradition of creating opportunities for researchers to excel in the field. These new awards will create further opportunities for young scientists to pursue cutting-edge research in the emerging field of molecular imaging.”

"As government agencies continue to struggle with flat research budgets, foundation support is more critical than ever,” said SNM president Robert W. Atcher, Ph.D., M.B.A., emerging medical technology team leader at Los Alamos U.S. National Laboratory in New Mexico, USA, and a professor of pharmacy at the University of New Mexico (Albuquerque, USA). "We must invest in and support the work of promising young researchers in order to realize new advances to patient care. These grants will also position these researchers to effectively compete for funding from Federal agencies by providing seed funding to generate preliminary data on cutting-edge molecular imaging work.”

This is the first time that SNM has offered awards specifically to support research in the field of molecular imaging. Recipients of the new molecular imaging awards were announced at SNM's 55th annual meeting in New Orleans, LA, USA.

Jonas Hannestad, from Yale University (New Haven, CT, USA), was named the recipient of the $100,000 SNM Molecular Imaging Research Grant for Junior Medical Faculty for a research project utilizing single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) to evaluate neuroinflammation and depression during treatment of patients with hepatitis C. This grant provides a junior faculty member who has clinical responsibilities with salary support to fund their research.

Peter Dimetri Olcott, from Stanford University (Stanford, CA, USA), and Hyo-Eun Carrie Bhang, from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine (Baltimore, MD, USA), were recognized as recipients of the SNM Postdoctoral Molecular Imaging Scholar Program for their work in whole-body clinical PET/magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) systems and therapeutic systems for cancer, respectively. These individual $40,000 grants will support research endeavors for the development and integration of molecular imaging approaches into the investigation of the fundamental causes of disease.

Sepideh Shokouhi, from Vanderbilt University Medical Center (Nashville, TN,USA), and Vania E. Kenanova, from the University of California, Los Angeles (USA), are recipients of the SNM Postdoctoral Molecular Imaging Scholar Program, which provides $60,000 for two years of research at institutions with established molecular imaging programs. Their respective research will focus on Alzheimer's disease and the targeted delivery of imaging or therapeutic agents.

"We are truly thrilled to offer these awards, and deeply appreciative of the support of the donors who make this ground-breaking research a reality,” said Dr. VanBrocklin.

The application deadline for SNM's 2009 Molecular Imaging Grants is December 5, 2008. More information about the awards is available below . The 2009 applications will be available online later the summer of 2008.

SNM is an international scientific and medical organization geared to raising public awareness about what molecular imaging is and how it can help provide patients with the best healthcare possible. SNM members specialize in molecular imaging, a vital element of current medical practice that adds an additional dimension to diagnosis, changing the way common and devastating diseases are understood and treated.

Related Links:
Society of Nuclear Medicine
SNM Grant Information