The Society of Nuclear Medicine recently added the tagline “advancing molecular imaging” to its logo. Now it is developing a center of molecular imaging in an effort to disseminate information and promote research in the rapidly advancing field.
The Society of Nuclear Medicine recently added the tagline "advancing molecular imaging" to its logo. Now it is developing a center of molecular imaging in an effort to disseminate information and promote research in the rapidly advancing field.
Society president Dr. Mathew Thakur, director of radiopharmaceutical research and nuclear medicine research at Thomas Jefferson University, detailed the SNM's intentions in creating such a center in the December issue of the Journal of Nuclear Medicine.
While the center is still virtual at the moment, it is set to go live after the society's midwinter educational symposium next week in Florida. At the meeting, a task force will hammer out operational procedures such as selection of officers and membership dues.
The center will welcome input from everyone interested in molecular imaging, including physicians, scientists, technologists, and radiologists, Thakur said. It will address such molecular imaging topics as surrogate markers, drug development, targeted diagnosis and therapies, and training in these areas.
One avenue the center will use to promote research is development of molecular imaging 101-type courses to be taught at academic institutions and of traveling classes. While these are long-term goals, the center already has two molecular imaging courses prepared for the SNM's annual meeting in June, he said.
The SNM will work with federal organizations such as the National Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering to acquire additional funds to promote activities that will support future molecular imaging research.
Thakur noted that the center's activities will be inclusive, also focusing on research in optical imaging, ultrasound, CT, and MRI.
"We are very excited about this project. Molecular imaging has very deep roots in nuclear medicine. This center will have a major role to play in this developing field," he said.
For more information from the online Diagnostic Imaging archives:
SNM Image of the Year signals personalized care
New research body can enhance imaging's future
Molecular imaging complex, elusive, but important topic for radiology
Can CT-Based Deep Learning Bolster Prognostic Assessments of Ground-Glass Nodules?
June 19th 2025Emerging research shows that a multiple time-series deep learning model assessment of CT images provides 20 percent higher sensitivity than a delta radiomic model and 56 percent higher sensitivity than a clinical model for prognostic evaluation of ground-glass nodules.