Serving as the largest international forum for cutting edge research designed to speed the discovery of more and better treatments for cancer and other diseases, the World Molecular Imaging Society (WMIS) held its ninth annual congress in New York, New York September 7-10, 2016. The theme of the World Molecular Imaging Congress (WMIC) 2016 was Imaging Biology…Improving Therapy, and highlighted new discoveries in molecular imaging with 168 oral presentations, 617 poster presentations and 1,726 attendees from world-renowned institutions from around the globe with keynote sessions on precision medicine and co-clinical trials.
View the recorded presentations from WMIC 2016 which are available as a part of WMIS membership.
Read the press release World Molecular Imaging Congress 2016: Imaging Biology…Improving Therapy (NEED LINK)
| Gold Medal Award |
 The WMIC 2016 Gold Medal Award was presented to Simon L. Cherry, Ph.D., Deaprtments of Biomedical Engineering and Radiology, University of California, Davis. His Gold Medal Lecture highlighted his pioneering work in the field of “EXPLORing the Sensitivity Limits of Positron Emission Tomography. |
| Young Investigator Award |
 WMIS proudly recognizes the outstanding commitment to research and endeavors of the next generation of researchers with the presentation of the 2016 Young Investigator Award to Molly Sheehan, Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania, at WMIC 2016 in New York. Honoring distinction in her work based on the quality of the science, the clarity of presentation and the ability to answer questions about the abstract, Dr. Shehan was presented the Young Investigator Award for her work titled “De Novo Design and Functional Mammalian Expression of a Far-Red Fluorescent Protein.” |
| Young Investigator Runner-Up Awards |
 Pictured with Molly Sheehan, Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania, who received the Young Investigator of the Year Award, are the two other finalists David Lewis, University of Cambridge, and Volke Neuschmelting, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. David Lewis was recognized for his work “Imaging Oncogenesis in 3D: A Novel Multi-transgenic Vector for in vivo Delivery of a Radionuclide Reporter to Tumor Initiating Cells”. Volke Neuschmelting was recognized for his work “Detection of Melanoma Lymph Node Micro- and In-transit- Metastasis by Multispectral Optoacustic Imaging (MSOT) in a Mouse Model in vivo”. |
| Commercial Innovation of the Year Award |
 WMIS presented the Commercial Innovation of the Year Award to Andrew Needles and Andrew Heinmiller, FUJIFILM VisualSonics, Inc. for their work developing a new clinical ultra high frequency system for translational imaging studies. The award winner was chosen based on votes from WMIC attendees.Runner-up was John Baeten, CSO, Visual Solutions and 2nd Runner-up was Ryan Spitler of Magnetic Insight. |
| WIMIN Scholar Award Winners |
 The Women in Molecular Imaging Network (WIMIN) Interest Group continues its emphasis on recognizing work of high merit through the WIMIN Scholar Awards. This year at WMIC, the WIMIN Interest Group awarded twenty five WIMIN Scholar Awards. Those receiving the awards were: Molly Sheehan, Maike Baues, Jennifer Poelmans, Liesbeth Vanherp, Hayet Pigeon, Ying Zhang, Andrea Galisova, Bethany Mills, Misun Yun, Chengyue Li, Elaine Yu, Nasteren Abad, Hyla Allouche-Arno, Nutte Teraphongphom, Orly Liba, Amanda Aleong, Outi Keinanen, Hyunjin Kim, Eline Verwer, Barbara Schorg, and Sanhita Sinharay. |
| Poster Award Winners |
 The WMIS continues its emphasis on recognizing work of high merit through poster awards. Chosen from among the abstract submissions that are accepted as posters and based upon the abstract grade and ranking, from left to right the winners are:Outi Keinanen, Cardiology; Sez-Jad e Chen, Instrumentation, Computation and Omics; Choi-Fong Cho, Neuroscience; Margaret Bennowitz (not pictured) and Kerstin Fuchs, Inflammation and Infectious Disease; Sharon Hori, Transdisciplinary Imaging; and Xiaowei Wang, Cardiology. |
| Molecular Imaging and Biology Award |
 Molecular Imaging and Biology recognized the work of high merit in both the area of preclinical and clinical papers and presented awards to:
Best Preclinical Paper: Fabio Piscaglia for his work “Use of VEGRF-2 Targeted Ultrasound Contrast Agent for the Early Evaluation of Response to Sorafenib in a Mouse Model of Hepatocellular Carcinoma”. |
| Exhibitor Selected Posters |
 Exhibitors offered awards to recognize innovative science research by young investigators.
Bruker: Grettje Vande Velde, Ir, Ph.D. |
| Presentations from WMIC 2016 |
 The WMIC meeting included over 300 oral presentations including plenary, educational and informative sessions as well as over 900 poster presentations from world-renowned institutions from around the globe with keynote sessions on precision medicine and co-clinical trials.
View the WMIC 2016 Program-at-a-Glance. View recordings of oral presentations go to https://www.pathlms.com/wmis/ |
| This is Our Lab |
 Many attendees stopped by the WMIS booth with their colleagues to take part in the second-ever “This is Our Lab” campaign. Ten academic labs and nine industry labs participated in the campaign at WMIC 2016. Congratulations to academic lab, ExMI Lab, RWTH Aachen University, Germany! Congratulations also go out to FUJIFILM VisualSonics, Toronto, Canada who won the Industry Contest.
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| Photographs and Gala Event: Roaring 20’s |
 The WMIC meeting concluded with a spectacular Roaring 20’s event at Cipriani, Wall Street. We enjoyed drinks, dinner and dancing to PerkinElmer’s band “Molecular Groove”
View the photos from the meeting |