Reston, VA--SNM and the International Partnership for Critical Markers of Disease (CMOD) are co-hosting an in-depth meeting on Friday, May 1, 2009, examining FDA requirements for manufacturing positron emission tomography (PET) radiopharmaceuticals. The meeting, which takes place at the Natcher Auditorium, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md., is scheduled to begin at 6:10 p.m. and conclude at 9:45 p.m.

"We are pleased to collaborate with the International Partnership for Critical Markers of Disease on this important meeting," said Michael Graham, M.D., Ph.D., SNM president-elect and director of nuclear medicine at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine. "New developments in molecular imaging technologies are dramatically improving the ways in which cardiovascular disease, neurological disorders and cancer are diagnosed and treated. It is essential that we work together as a scientific community to facilitate personalized medicine through the development of advanced imaging techniques and new radiopharmaceuticals that will enable physicians to determine early on the precise location of disease, and evaluate and monitor the effectiveness of therapy."

"SNM and CMOD share a common interest in accelerating scientific research to bring the best in health care to patients today," said Therese Heinonen, DVM, executive director of the International Partnership for Critical Markers of Disease. "With an active interest in the evaluation of potential cardiovascular biomarkers and their appropriate application in clinical trials, a partnership with SNM is a natural fit."

Don Black, head of research and development at GE Healthcare's Medical Diagnostics, Dwaine Rieves, director of medical imaging at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and Michael Graham from SNM will kick off the special May 1 evening session. Dennis Swanson, University of Pittsburgh, and Sally Schwarz, Washington University, will survey the regulation history of PET and review current regulations for PET compounding. Joseph Hung, Mayo Clinic, along with other distinguished speakers, will address the critical necessity of developing new tracers and radiopharmaceuticals in compliance with FDA's current good manufacturing practice (CGMP) and chemistry, manufacturing and control (CMC) regulations. Experts will then address the need for harmonization and standardization across multiple imaging sites and discuss the concept of a centralized IND and SNM's new Clinical Trials Network. The meeting will conclude with an interactive question and answer session and panel discussion.

This meeting will take place immediately following SNM's Multimodality Cardiovascular Molecular Imaging Symposium (CVMI), Apr. 30-May 1, also at the Natcher Auditorium of the National Institutes of Health. CVMI Symposium attendees may register for this session at no additional charge. For more information about this symposium and to register, please visit www.snm.org/cvmi2009.

SNM and CMOD plan to host other collaborative symposia and forums dedicated to accelerating biomarker and radiopharmaceutical development for patient care, including the 7th annual CMOD Biomarkers and Surrogate Endpoints Symposium, Oct. 19-21, 2009, Bethesda, Md. This symposium-with the theme, "Streamlining to Promote Innovation and Efficiency"-will also be held in collaboration with representatives from the FDA, National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Canadian Institutes for Health Research, Radiological Society of North America, and other public and private research organizations. To register for the fall symposium, please visit www.cmod.org.

About SNM: Advancing Molecular Imaging and Therapy

SNM is an international scientific and medical organization dedicated to raising public awareness about what molecular imaging is and how it can help provide patients with the best health care possible. SNM members specialize in molecular imaging, a vital element of today's medical practice that adds an additional dimension to diagnosis, changing the way common and devastating diseases are understood and treated.

SNM's more than 17,000 members set the standard for molecular imaging and nuclear medicine practice by creating guidelines, sharing information through journals and meetings and leading advocacy on key issues that affect molecular imaging and therapy research and practice. For more information, visit www.snm.org.

About the International Partnership for Critical Markers of Disease (CMOD)

The mission of the International Partnership for Critical Markers of Disease (CMOD) is to accelerate the identification, validation and appropriate application of biomarkers in cardiovascular and related diseases.

CMOD works to: provide scientifically rigorous and balanced information on established and novel biomarkers and imaging technologies; facilitate the cooperative exchange of ideas and information about critical biomarkers among clinical and basic scientists, governmental regulatory agencies, pharmaceutical, biotech and diagnostic companies, health care providers, and patient groups; identify issues in biomarker identification and offer educational programs that provide access to the most current information on biomarker and related sciences to meet educational needs; and promote and support collaborative initiatives to advance the identification, validation and application of biomarkers most efficiently. For more information, visit www.cmod.org.