SNM's joint session with CMOD on molecular imaging biomarkers in clinical research

SNM and the International Partnership for Critical Markers of Disease bring combined resources and biomarker expertise to this noteworthy conference

SNM is collaborating with the International Partnership for Critical Markers of Disease (CMOD) during CMOD's 7th Annual Biomarkers and Surrogate Endpoints Symposium, Bethesda North Marriott Hotel and Conference Center, Bethesda, Md., Oct. 19th, 2009. The joint session, co-hosted by SNM and CMOD, will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 21, from 12:30 p.m. to 4:15 p.m.

"We are pleased to further extend our collaboration with the International Partnership for Critical Markers of Disease by holding this joint session on molecular imaging biomarkers in clinical research," said Michael Graham, PhD, MD, SNM president and director of nuclear medicine at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine. "We have established a vital scientific partnership to promote the expanded use and validation of molecular imaging biomarkers for clinical trials. Improved availability and performance of molecular imaging biomarkers will facilitate the development of safe and effective therapeutic drugs and ultimately enhance the delivery of personalized medicine."

"Our common interest in accelerating scientific research and therapeutic drug development by creating novel and advanced biomarkers to promote optimal health care today is a model for others to follow," said Therese Heinonen, DVM, executive director and co-founder of the International Partnership for Critical Markers of Disease and associate director of scientific affairs, Montreal Heart Institute Coordinating Center. "SNM and CMOD share the vision of expanding the use of these biomarkers in a standardized clinical research environment where providing high-quality, cost-effective patient care is the ultimate goal."

Peter Libby (co-founder of CMOD and Mallinckrodt Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and chief of cardiovascular medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital) will moderate the special afternoon session with Michael Graham. Don Black, general manager of molecular imaging at GE Healthcare's Medical Diagnostics, and Alexander J.B. McEwan, MD, chair of the department of oncology at the University of Alberta, Canada, will present perspectives on standardizing molecular imaging clinical trials, with an emphasis on the challenges of developing molecular imaging agents and statistical considerations in trial design. The second panel, led by Dan Skovronsky, founder and CEO of Avid Pharmaceuticals, and Patricia Cole, executive director of Imagepace at Medpace, Inc., will discuss the potential role of molecular imaging biomarkers in therapeutic development in both oncology and neurology-two areas of significant interest to clinicians, researchers and industry. The session concludes with presentations focused on challenges and opportunities for using molecular imaging biomarkers in clinical research.