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Monday, June 15, 2009

Canada's MTCC hosts world's largest nuclear medicine event


By Laura Lee

Canada's top convention and trade show facility, Metro Toronto Convention Centre (MTTC) is hosting SNM's 56th annual meeting, which has been welcomed by its prime minister Stephen Harper and Toronto mayor David Miller.

Held from 13-17 June, SNM annual meeting brings together over 6,000 physicians, technologists and scientists to Toronto to share research, learn about the latest breakthroughs and trends as well as discuss important issues in nuclear medicine and molecular imaging.

According to SNM president Robert Atcher, "Molecular imaging is changing the way that common diseases are diagnosed and treated. Molecular imaging and nuclear medicine scans allow physicians to see exactly what is happening and how a disease is responding to therapy.

“More than 20 million people have molecular imaging procedures each year. These procedures are commonly used to diagnose and monitor treatment in patients with cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer's disease and stroke, to name just a few."

Mayor Miller cited Toronto's high concentration of research institutes, business support services and world-renowned medical researchers as key factors making the city an excellent choice.

MTCC president and chief executive officer Barry Smith (pic) said, "We are pleased to host an event of such positive impact. Not only does the SNM annual meeting spark discussion and sharing to improve patient care, it has an immediate positive impact on the local economy of C$10 million in visitor spending.

"As for participants, Toronto is centrally located within a 90-minute flight time from nearly 60% of the US population: an excellent location for an event of this size and scope."

Since MTTC's opening in 1984, it has hosted about 12,000 events and entertained nearly 40 million guests. Visit www.mtccc.com/ for more details.

Besides research highlights, experts will be discussing how the current medical isotope crisis and shutdown at the Chalk River reactor continue to impact patient care at SNM annual meeting.

SNM held a press conference today which can be viewed via streaming video at www.ustream.tv/channel/snm-press-conference-toronto and I was not the only one to find it unbearably inaudible at the outset. A number of the listeners voiced their complaints over the social stream chat.

By the way, SNM is an international scientific and medical organisation dedicated to raising public awareness about what molecular imaging is and how it can help provide patients with the best health care possible.

Its members specialise in molecular imaging, a vital element of medical practice that adds an additional dimension to diagnosis, changing the way common and devastating diseases are understood and treated.

SNM's over 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.

Visit www.snm.org/ for more information.

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