|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
UCLA’S CRUMP INSTITUTE FOR MOLECULAR IMAGING HOSTS LECTURE SERIES FOR SCIENTIFIC AND MEDICAL COMMUNITY
Experts Share
Molecular Imaging Research In-Person and Online
LOS ANGELES,
Calif.,
(March 4, 2002) – To the scientific and medical community, research in
Molecular Imaging represents a future of disease detection before symptoms
appear, therapeutic efficacy that is measured in hours instead of months, and
life-saving drugs tailored to a patient’s genetic make-up.
Through a lecture series offered by UCLA’s Crump Institute for
Molecular Imaging (CIMI), with support from General Electric (GE) and the Life
Sciences:Information Technology (LS:IT) program of the University of California,
experts in the area of Molecular Imaging from across the nation are sharing
their findings with the scientific and medical community.
According to Dr. Sam Gambhir, Director of CIMI at UCLA, "Fundamental
advances in molecular imaging will lead to the next generation of diagnostic
imaging agents that should allow for earlier detection of disease as well as
better management of patients given molecularly targeted therapeutics.
Imaging and targeting of fundamental cellular events may facilitate
customized imaging and therapeutics. We
expect Molecular Imaging to become one of the key enablers of modern biology and
medicine.”
The UCLA Crump/GE/LS:IT Molecular Imaging Lecture Series covers the
latest topics such as optical imaging methods for breast disease, MR imaging for
cancer detection and studies of disease-associated enzyme activity.
Each month, lectures are hosted at the RPB Auditorium of the Jules Stein
Eye Institute at UCLA by experts in key areas of research.
A sampling of upcoming lecturers and topics includes:
Optical Imaging With Green Fluorescent
Proteins" by
Dr. Robert M. Hoffman, President of AntiCancer, Inc.
(March 7, 2002)
"Bioluminescence
Based Optical Imaging in Living Subjects", by Dr. Chris Contag of Stanford
University (April 4, 2002)
“Imaging
Disease-Associated Enzyme Activity In Vivo”, by Dr. Ching H. Tung of
Harvard Medical School (May 2, 2002)
"In Vivo, Cellular and Molecular Imaging of
Cancer”, by Dr.
Zaver
Bhujwalla of Johns Hopkins University (September 12, 2002)
-MORE-
"Fluorescence Based Optical Imaging of Living Mice", by Dr Robert M. Hoffman, President of AntiCancer Inc.
In
addition to the opportunity for Los Angeles researchers, these lectures are
available internationally following the event via a webcast on the CIMI website.
The webcast includes the lecture, high-resolution images from the talk
and a discussion period afterwards.
“Dr. Gambhir and the UCLA Crump team have designed a terrific lecture
series that represents an important step in raising the overall understanding of
the field. GE is committed to
deliver Molecular Imaging to clinical practice and we believe that educational
projects like this will help accelerate breakthroughs
into clinical development,” said Eric Stahre, General Manager of
Genomics and Molecular Imaging at GE Medical Systems.
“LS:IT is pleased to co-sponsor this important Lecture Series because
it helps to advance scientific efforts at the interface of biomedical technology
and the information systems needed to handle complex and rapidly expanding data.
Participants from the University and California industry are likely to
develop research collaborations. LS:IT
was established to strengthen and expand California's economy by funding
research partnerships at this critical interface,” said Susanne Huttner, LS:IT
Interim Director and Executive Director, Industry-University Cooperative
Research Program.
For more information about the UCLA Crump/GE/LS:IT Molecular Imaging
Lectures Series and a complete listing of lectures, visit the UCLA Crump website
at http://www.crump.ucla.edu/public/GE_seminar.adp
and the GE Medical Systems' Molecular Imaging website at http://apps.gemedicalsystems.com/geCommunity/nmpet/interest_groups/molecular_imaging/mi_home.jsp.
The Crump Institute for Molecular Imaging is an
organizational research unit of the UCLA School of Medicine named after Ralph
and Marjorie Crump. CIMI was
founded in 1989 as a multidisciplinary research institute dedicated to the
development and use of imaging technology to study biological systems.
CIMI is directed by Dr. Sanjiv Sam Gambhir.
More information about CIMI and the Molecular Imaging Lecture Series can
be found at http://www.crump.ucla.edu/
GE Medical Systems is an $8 billion global leader in
medical imaging, interventional procedures, healthcare services, and information
technology. Its offerings include networking and productivity tools, clinical
information systems, patient monitoring systems, surgery and vascular imaging,
conventional and digital X-ray, computed tomography, magnetic resonance,
ultrasound and bone mineral densitometry, positron emission tomography, nuclear
medicine, and a comprehensive portfolio of clinical and business services. For
more than 100 years, health care providers worldwide have relied on GE Medical
Systems for high quality medical technology and productivity solutions. For more
information about GE Medical Systems, visit our Web site at www.gemedical.com.
The Life Sciences:Information Technology Program
(LS:IT) is a University of California system-wide matching grants program that
partners industry sponsors with UC Researchers, and funds research that applies
information technology to the life sciences.
LS:IT is one of six sector programs that make up the Industry-University
Cooperative Research Program (IUCRP). For
more information about LS:IT, visit our web site at http://uc-lsit.berkeley.edu/.
#
# #
For more
information contact:
Judy Schwimmer
UCLA
Crump Institute
(310) 825-2767 UCLA/CIMI PR contact
Jennifer
Christiansen
GE
Medical Systems
(262) 548-2910
