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GE Healthcare, Bristol-Myers Squibb Medical Imaging, Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Philips and FluoroPharma Provide Pledges To Bring Molecular Imaging Discoveries From Research to Patients; Announcement Made at Society’s 53rd Annual Meeting in San Diego

SAN DIEGO, Calif.—Calling it a “historic moment” for SNM and for the future of quality medical care for patients, SNM President Peter S. Conti announced today the official beginning of a $5 million campaign called “Bench to Bedside” to span the next five years.

This special, concentrated fundraising initiative was jump-started with the first pledge from lead donor GE Healthcare. Additional pledges have been received from these four firms: Bristol-Myers Squibb Medical Imaging, Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Philips and FluoroPharma.

“The use of molecular imaging to monitor the development and management of diseases at the molecular level will have a significant impact on health care over the next 5, 10 and more years,” said SNM President Peter S. Conti, professor of radiology, pharmacy and biomedical engineering at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. “SNM’s ‘Bench to Bedside: A Molecular Imaging Campaign’ will allow significant molecular imaging discoveries made by scientists at lab benches to be efficiently and effectively ‘translated’ into practice so they can be used by physicians at sick patients’ bedsides,” added the director of the PET Imaging Science Center at USC’s Keck School of Medicine. Health care innovations usually follow this “bench to bedside” approach—beginning with basic biomedical research, testing it with clinical research and finally putting it into clinical practice, explained Conti. “SNM members have the scientific and clinical expertise to take molecular imaging into the future, continuing the exploration of biological and technological innovations to fight diseases,” he added.

“Molecular imaging will transform patient diagnosis and care. It will allow us to find disease earlier and understand how to care for patients in a better manner than we have ever been able to. As a physician and scientist I am both delighted and honored to partner with SNM and to serve as co-chair of this campaign,” said Bill Clarke, executive vice president, chief technology officer and chief medical officer of GE Healthcare.

SNM—an international, multidisciplinary society of more than 16,000 physician, technologist and scientist members in 78 countries—recognizes the critical role for molecular imaging in future patient care for diagnosis, for predicting treatment response and for monitoring treatment response and individual treatment plans, said Conti. “Patients with cancer, heart disease, stroke or debilitating neurological conditions benefit from earlier, more accurate diagnoses and safer, more effective treatments when their medical care includes scanning technologies such as positron emission tomography (PET) with computed tomography (CT) or single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT),” he added.

During its 52-year history, the society has never sponsored a fundraising effort of this magnitude. “Bench to Bedside: A Molecular Imaging Campaign, which will be carried out jointly with the Education and Research Foundation for SNM, creates opportunities for industry and individuals to support education, research and advocacy efforts in advancing molecular imaging in catching diseases before they catch us,” said Michael D. Devous Sr., foundation president, professor of radiology with the School of Medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas and a campaign co-chair.

After months of extensive dialogue and consultation with molecular and nuclear imaging industry leaders, four specific areas of need were identified: supporting advocacy for molecular imaging; educating and promoting collaboration with referring physicians and patient groups; training and educating the current imaging workforce and future generations of practitioners on the applications of molecular imaging; and supporting innovations in translational research—the research that “translates” an innovation from basic science into practice—from bench to bedside.

The society plans to fund outreach activities to referring physicians and patient groups; support translational clinical studies and small innovative trials; and offer research grants and fellowships to advance new medical developments, said Conti.

Conti said he and other SNM and ERF leaders have been “quietly” working on the campaign for several months. “The early pledge from GE Healthcare signals that this initiative can be an overwhelming success,” said Conti. “This campaign is more about impact than dollars,” he added; “It’s not about us—it’s about the future.”

Corporate and individual donors may find more information about the “Bench to Bedside: A Molecular Imaging Campaign” and how to donate on SNM’s Web site at www.snm.org/micampaign. Gifts may be provided outright or pledged over a period of time from one to five years. For more information, contact Theresa Pinkham, SNM director of development, by phone at 703-326-1194 or via e-mail at tpinkham@snm.org.

Bench to Bedside - A Molecular Imaging Campaign