MORNING CATEGORICAL COURSE
Cardiovascular Molecular MR Contrast Agents: from Bench to Bedside

Organizer: Peter Caravan, Ph.D.
Skill Level: Intermediate

Thursday 8 May and Friday 9 May 2008

Overview:

This course of two one-hour sessions describes challenges broadly faced in using MR for molecular imaging and the technical advances that are meeting these challenges. Examples come from the cardiovascular field and describe successful application of molecular MRI in mouse and larger animal models and translation to clinical studies.

Educational Objectives:

Upon completion of this course, participants should be able to:

  • Define the specific challenges faced in molecular MRI and in particular explain the sensitivity limitations of MR contrast media;
  • List the different classes of contrast agents used and the strategies applied to enable molecular imaging with MR;
  • Identify molecular imaging agents being used in cardiovascular research;
  • Compare the different animal models used in cardiovascular molecular MRI and appraise the relative strengths of each; and
  • Describe two ways in which cardiovascular molecular MR imaging are being translated into clinical research.

    Audience Description:

    This course is designed for physicists, chemists, molecular biologists, pharmacologists, Ph.D.-level imaging scientists, practicing clinicians, radiologists in private practice, training or academic centers, MRI technologists, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, neuroradiologists, cardiologists, M.D. and Ph.D. scientists with an interest in cardiovascular disease, cardiovascular imaging, atherosclerosis, thromboembolic disease, molecular imaging, and contrast agents, and whose current work might include cardiovascular imaging, cardiovascular disease state models, and contrast agent design. No prior experience is required.

         
    Thursday    
    7:00 Pushing the Contrast Sensitivity Envelope Silvio Aime, Ph.D.
    7:30 Molecular Imaging Using Multimodality (MR, PET, and CT) for Characterizing Atherosclerotic Plaque Zahi A. Fayad, Ph.D.
    8:00 Adjournment  
         
    Friday    
    7:00 Cardiovascular Molecular MRI in the Mouse David Sosnovik, M.D.
    7:30 Molecular MRI of Thrombosis: From Porcine Models to First Human Experiences Elmar Spuentrup, M.D.
    8:00 Adjournment