About CMIIT
Focusing on the Future of Molecular Imaging
SNMMI's Center for Molecular Imaging Innovation and Translation is an organizational component within the SNMMI that is dedicated to all aspects of molecular imaging in the detection and management of disease. The primary focal areas of the Center are educational programs, professional and intersociety networking, and serving as a resource for development and implementation of SNMMI policy in this specialized area. The center is currently facilitating initiatives to bring molecular imaging discoveries from the lab to the patient and to advance "personalized" medicine.
Molecular Imaging Meetings of Interest
20th International Symposium on Radiopharmaceutical Sciences (ISRS2013)
May 12–17, 2013
Seoguipo, Republic of Korea
Radiometals 2013
June 13–16, 2013
Sonoma Valley, California
Clinical and Translational Research Course for Ph.D. Students at the NIH Clinical Center
July 8–19, 2013
Bethesda, Maryland
Frontiers of Biomedical Imaging Science IV
July 15–18, 2013
Nashville, Tennessee
The World Molecular Imaging Congress/WMIC 2013
September 18–21, 2013
Savannah, Georgia, USA
Advanced Molecular Imaging and its Clinical Translation
October 27–30, 2013
Boston, Massachusetts
Message from the President
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Todd Peterson, PhD CMIIT President |
The Future is Bright for CMIIT
In an historic membership vote, in June 2012, the Society of Nuclear Medicine (SNM) voted to amend their Articles of Incorporation and change their name to the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI). Although the society’s name was just recently changed, the SNMMI has been focusing on molecular imaging for many years now.
As SNMMI continues to broaden its activities and offerings to encompass all molecular imaging modalities, the Center for Molecular Imaging Innovation and Translation (CMIIT) will focus its attention on the translation of innovative new technologies and agents. Our recently completed strategic planning process resulted in a new vision and mission that better aligns with the expertise of our membership:
Vision: Molecular imaging will be an integral part of the medical standard of care by providing specific information that will be used for diagnosis and to guide therapeutic decisions that improve health and well-being.
Mission: To engage the molecular imaging community and leverage the SNM infrastructure to advance the adoption of emerging molecular imaging technologies and probes in preclinical and clinical applications.
Over the next year, CMIIT will be partnering with SNMMI on an Optical Imaging Task Force. The Task Force has been charged with: (1) looking at ways to engage the optical imaging community, particularly those interested in clinical translation of the technology, (2) developing appropriate meeting content (possibly at SNM meetings, at other meetings like the Optical Society of America, or even a stand-alone meeting), and (3) developing other education and membership content that will appeal to the optical imaging community.
As with most successful ventures, it is important to not only use internal resources and expertise, but to also collaborate and partner with likeminded individuals and organizations. This year, CMIIT is partnering with the PET Center of Excellence on a full day symposium at the 2013 Mid-Winter Meeting on PET/MR; A Different Spin on Nuclear Imaging: The Role of PET/MRI in Molecular Imaging. The symposium will provide a review of the issues related to PET/MRI technology including brief primers on physics and instrumentation, emerging dual imaging biomarkers, and potential clinical applications in neurologic, cardiovascular, oncologic, and musculoskeletal disorders.
SNMMI through CMIIT’s initiation is also partnering with the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) to put on a special meeting, “State-of-the-Art Molecular Imaging in Cancer Biology and Therapy,” that will take place in February 2013. This collaboration is a first for both organizations and arises from the CMIIT and SNMMI strategic plans, in which CMIIT is charged with “Increasing knowledge among members of the scientific community involved in biomedical research about the current value and future promise of molecular imaging, help cross fertilization to other disciplines, and make them aware of the power of molecular imaging and help researchers there get their advances and discoveries to clinic using in vivo imaging.”
In addition, CMIIT will also be focusing on several key initiatives:
- Outreach to the NIH National Center for Advancing Translational Science (NCATS);
- Preclinical imaging standardization and training;
- Outreach to academic tech transfer officers and companies to discuss and develop best practices to commercialize agents and technologies.
These continuing efforts will make our Center, as well as SNMMI, an effective advocate, a comprehensive educational resource, and a welcoming organizational home for all molecular imaging professionals.
Todd Peterson, PhD
CMIIT President
