Seminar - Recent Advances in Medical Imaging: The Promise of Molecular Imaging
Date: May 11, 2001
Time: 4:00 PM
Location: Commonwealth Hall, Room: 410
Speaker(s):
Dr. A Nadeem Ishaque
Manager of MR and Molecular Imaging Program
GE Corporate R&D Center
Details:
Biomed and ECE Joint Seminar on Molecular Imaging
Tremendous strides have been made in recent years in the knowledge of
genetic and molecular basis of disease. Most notable advancements
include:
* draft publication and increased understanding of the human genome,
* discovery of genes and intracellular pathways in disease processes,
* pharmacogenomics and the drive to personalized medicine,
* understanding of the molecular basis of cell dysfunction, etc.
As a result of these advancements, the knowledge of viable disease
targets, which could be used for therapeutic intervention or for
diagnostic purposes, is estimated to increase by an order of
magnitude as further analysis of the human genome continues. These
developments have created an explosion of interest in molecular
diagnostic technologies, including molecular imaging for in vivo
assessment of molecular disease targets and applied genomics and
proteomics for in vitro discovery of disease markers.
Conventional imaging techniques are largely confined to imaging and
visualizing the human anatomy and some (limited) aspects of
physiological function. Most disease processes, however, are
triggered at the genetic, molecular, and cellular level long before
they are manifested as anatomical or functional phenotypes. Moreover,
therapeutic intervention results in molecular alterations well in
advance of gross anatomical or functional changes or regression of
clinical symptoms. Therefore, means of rapidly assessing genetic,
molecular, and cellular disease markers, with high sensitivity and
specificity, could potentially have a revolutionary impact on disease
management, including
* disease pre-disposition and risk profiling of individuals,
* pre-symptomatic monitoring and prevention of disease,
* accurate diagnosis at the molecular level with individualized
treatment selection,
* focal drug delivery and therapeutic intervention guided by imaging, and
* treatment monitoring to assess therapeutic efficacy.
While molecular diagnostics offers enormous potential in disease
management, extensive research and development is needed in a variety
of disciplines including biochemistry, molecular biology, imaging
physics, pharmacology, and signal and data processing before
molecular diagnostics can be reduced to clinical practice. GE has
launched a major R&D effort in molecular imaging and in combining
imaging with genomics/proteomics with the ultimate goal of clinical
translation of these technologies.
The seminar will provide background on molecular imaging. Some of the
specific projects being pursued at GE-CRD in molecular imaging will
then be discussed. Focus will be on describing the major technical
advancements needed and the R&D required to introduce molecular
imaging into routine clinical practice.
Biosketch:
Dr. Ishaque is currently the manager of MR and Molecular Imaging
Program at the GE Corporate R&D Center (GE-CRD) in New York. In the
past he has also managed and technically led the CT, PET, and nuclear
medicine efforts at GE-CRD. Dr. Ishaque has over twenty five
publications and patents.
Dr. Ishaque received his Ph.D. in electrical engineering from
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Dec., 1990. At GE, Dr. Ishaque
has led teams of scientists in research related to detectors, novel
SPECT and PET imaging systems, and volumetric CT systems. The groups
that Dr. Ishaque has led have played an important role in several
major products introduced by GE Medical Systems, such as LightSpeed
QXi (multislice CT scanner) and Signa 3T WB (whole body 3T MR
scanner). Dr. Ishaque has also led teams of scientists in clinical
research related to lung cancer, cardiovascular disease and
neurodegenerative disease. Currently Dr. Ishaque is providing
technology leadership in starting a new global business at GE Medical
Systems in Genomics and Molecular Imaging.
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