?The future of molecular MR: A cellular and molecular imaging workshop? is an international meeting of researchers, physicians, and engineers in academia and industry who are interested in applying MR imaging to the study of disease at the molecular level. The overarching goal of the conference is to identify new opportunities for molecular MRI, to delineate the key challenges facing the field and to identify strategies to overcome these challenges. This meeting will encompass the use of various MR and hybrid imaging techniques to interrogate molecular processes in biology and pathobiology both in pre-clinical and clinical applications. The goals of the scientific sessions of this workshop are: 1) to identify how innovations in synthetic biology can be applied to molecular MR; 2) to combine advanced imaging techniques with molecular imaging to yield richer information; 3) to exploit the synergies of hybrid imaging and imaging at different field strengths; 4) to establish techniques for characterizing and quantifying aspects of the tissue microenviroment and show how these can be used to monitor treatment response of new therapies; 5) to describe the state of the art in translational cellular imaging. The structure of the workshop entails first allowing invited speakers who are leaders in the specific session to introduce it by challenging the audience with their vision of the future. The sessions will be followed by oral and poster presentations selected from submitted abstracts by the organizing committee. Session topics may include: synthetic biology approaches, alternatives to gadolinium, advanced imaging techniques, imaging the microenvironment, MR+X: multimodal imaging, molecular MR of treatment response, cellular imaging, molecular imaging at low, high and multiple fields. The program will also include a special lecture and a session formed from top abstracts from young investigators. Poster sessions and networking events at the meeting will provide opportunities for communication and collaboration among attendees of all levels of training. There will be registration discounts for trainees, young investigators, and underrepresented minorities as well as travel awards based on top abstracts. This conference will leverage the breadth of expertise of a truly international and multidisciplinary group of researchers, who work in the area of molecular MR imaging and related fields, to identify and explore new avenues to advance basic and translational research opportunities, and to establish and foster communication, collaboration, and fellowship among the group.
The Future of Molecular MR: A Cellular and Molecular Imaging Workshop is an international meeting of researchers, physicians, and engineers in academia and industry who are interested in applying MR imaging to the study of disease at the molecular level. This meeting will leverage the eclectic expertise from attendees to identify opportunities and address challenges for the field in order to develop new tools to enable the detection, characterization, quantification, and treatment monitoring of disease processes.
