From the December 2011 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine
Among Schwaiger’s accomplishments is the conception, development, validation and clinical application of F-18 labeled galato-RGD for probing the expression of integrins and, by inference, angiogenesis and collagen formation. Investigations in humans identified angiogenesis and aggressiveness of tumors. This defined new therapy targets as well as measures of therapy responses. The novel probe proved equally important in ischemic/reperfused myocardium and in inflammatory atherosclerotic vascular disease for demonstrating angiogenic activities.
This research, performed in his laboratory, has stimulated new broad research activities on the role of integrins in vessel and collagen formation. At the same time, it has led to the design of probes of integrin subtypes and probes with different single positron–emitting radionuclides.
Schwaiger completed his medical training at the Medical School of the Free University in Berlin and the Medical School of the University of Freiburg, both in Germany. He has held academic appointments at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Medicine and the University of Michigan, as well as at the Julius-Maximilians University at Wuerzberg, Germany, and the German Heart Center at Munich. In addition to his tenure as dean of the Technical University of Munich School of Medicine from 2003-2010, Schwaiger also serves as director of nuclear medicine for the university, as well as adjunct professor of internal medicine at the University of Michigan. He has authored or coauthored more than 740 journal articles and book chapters and has given more than 500 scientific presentations.
Schwaiger has received numerous awards and honors throughout his career, including the Hevesy Award of the Hungarian Society of Nuclear Medicine, the Henry N. Wagner Jr. Lectureship for the Society of Nuclear Medicine, the Distinguished Scientist Award for the Academy of Molecular Imaging, the German Federal Cross of Merit and honoring doctorate of the University of Varna.
ACC Lifetime Achievement Award: Patrick W. Serruys
The Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes an individual who has had a lifetime of outstanding achievements in the field of cardiovascular disease and has served as a role model through service, basic or clinical research and teaching. The recipient of this award must have had a career spanning at least 30 years. Contributions should be recognized at local, national and international levels.
