News Release

SNM awards $25,000 Mallinckrodt Seed Grant in Molecular Imaging/Nuclear Medicine Research

Funding to aid molecular imaging/nuclear medicine cancer research

Grant and Award Announcement

Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging

Meixang Yu, Ph.D., of Memphis, Tenn., has been named the first recipient of the SNM/Mallinckrodt Seed Grant in Molecular Imaging/Nuclear Medicine Research.

Yu, an associate professor and the chief positron emission tomography (PET) radiochemist at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, is doing research on "Molecular Imaging and Biological Evaluation of 124I Avastin Anti-VEGF Antibody: Implications for Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment Response." The competitive grant is designed to assist researchers in conducting new and innovative pilot projects that have potential for future support from foundations, corporations or government agencies. Members of the Education and Research Foundation (ERF) for SNM awarded this grant, funded through a $25,000 donation from Tyco Healthcare/Mallinckrodt.

"Through its grants and awards program, SNM actively promotes funding molecular imaging research, which will lead to a better understanding of disease and the development of life-saving treatments," said SNM President Peter. S. Conti, M.D., Ph.D. "This research project will extend our knowledge of how an existing radiotracer may be eventually used to fight colorectal and lung cancer in humans," added ERF Vice President Robert F. Carretta, M.D.

Yu earned a doctorate in radiological chemistry in 1996 from Peking University and did post-doctoral work at Kuopio University in Finland. She received her bachelor's degree in chemistry in 1990 from Peking University in China and a master's degree in analytical chemistry in 1993 from the China Institute of Atomic Energy. Yu has been involved with PET tracer development for more than 10 years and has experience in PET data processing, including modeling calculation.

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The Education and Research Foundation for SNM has been supporting the molecular imaging/nuclear medicine community since its founding in 1969. The foundation's mission is to advance excellence in health care through education and research in molecular imaging/nuclear medicine by provision of grants and awards. "Providing molecular and nuclear imaging professionals with increased support for cutting-edge research is one of the major priorities of SNM and the foundation," said ERF President Michael D. Devous Sr., Ph.D. "We are thankful that Tyco Healthcare/Mallinckrodt came forward to help us on this venture," he added.

For more information about SNM, the foundation or making a contribution, please contact Kathy Bates, SNM's director of development, via phone at (703) 708-9000, ext. 1028, or via e-mail at kbates@snm.org. Information is posted on SNM's Web site at http://www.snm.org/grants.

About SNM
SNM is an international scientific and professional organization of more than 16,000 members dedicated to promoting the science, technology and practical applications of molecular and nuclear imaging to diagnose, manage and treat diseases in women, men and children. Founded more than 50 years ago, SNM continues to train physicians, technologists, scientists, physicists, chemists and radiopharmacists in state-of-the-art imaging procedures and advances; provide essential resources for health care practitioners and patients; publish the most prominent peer-reviewed resource in the field; sponsor research grants, fellowships and awards; and host the premier annual meeting for medical imaging. SNM members have introduced--and continue to explore--biological and technological innovations in medicine that noninvasively investigate the molecular basis of diseases, benefiting countless generations of patients. SNM is based in Reston, Va.; additional information can be found online at http://www.snm.org.


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