BANGKOK, March 13 (Bernama) – A world-renowned pioneer in molecular and nuclear imaging, Professor Abass Alavi, is the first recipient of the Princess Chulabhorn Laureate award.
The Iranian-American physician-scientist Dr Alavi, a specialist in molecular imaging, particularly positron emission tomography (PET), played a pivotal role in developing fludeoxyglucose (FDG), the first clinically-approved radiopharmaceutical for PET imaging that remains widely used today.
Her Royal Highness Princess Chulabhorn Krom Phra Srisavangavadhana, the youngest sibling of King Maha Vajiralongkorn, will preside over the presentation ceremony of the Princess Chulabhorn Award 2023 at the Chulabhorn Research Institute Convention Hall on July 14.
Dr Alavi, who is a Professor of Radiology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and Associate Director at the Institute on Aging at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, will receive a shield, a certificate, and the sum of US$50,000 as the prize.
The President of Princess Chulabhorn Award Foundation, Clinical Professor Emeritus Udom Kachintorn, said Dr. Alavi has been selected to receive the award because he was the first to administer 18 F-FDG to a human subject in 1976 and perform tomographic images of the brain using the homemade single-photon emission tomography (SPET) machine.
He said Dr. Alavi also introduced 18F-FDG-PET for imaging cancer, infection, inflammation, atherosclerosis, clot detection, and muscle disorders.
“Today, PET-imaging continues to evolve as an important investigation modality for various diseases, especially cancer and neurological disorders. Tremendous work has gone into the development of safe radioisotopes for PET-imaging, and the development of software and hardware from PET-planar scan to PET-CT (computed tomography) and currently, PET-MRI (magnetic resonance imaging).
“This widely available technique has proven highly effective in disease detection and monitoring. In recognition of these contributions, Dr. Alavi is being honoured with the Princess Chulabhorn Laureate award,” he told Bernama today.
Earning his title as “Father of Nuclear Medicine,” Dr Alavi’s research in PET continues as he is determined to discover and develop more effective ways to utilise PET in modern health care. With over 1500 published pieces of literature and over 75,000 citations, his effort has indeed left its mark in this field.
Dr Alavi is currently serves as the Director of Research Education at the Department of Radiology and Associate Director at the Center for the Study of Aging, University of Pennsylvania.
The Princess Chulabhorn Award Foundation, under the Royal Patronage of Her Royal Highness Princess Chulabhorn Krom Phra Srisavangavadhana, is a private foundation duly constituted, chartered, and registered under Thai law.
The primary purpose is to confer the international award to an individual researcher or scientist in the field of cancer treatment, control, and care for the benefit of mankind and the well-being of people.
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