Showing papers by "Radiological Society of North America published in 2007"

Blueprint for imaging in biomedical research.

Abstract: Today the understanding of biological processes in human health and disease is deeper and richer than it was 3 years ago when Dr Zerhouni offered his testimony, and far deeper and richer than it was at the close of the previous century. The action of Congress in doubling the NIH research budget has greatly accelerated the rate of discovery of new knowledge in biomedical research. The process of discovery is providing greater insight into human biology and into the mechanisms of human illness and injury that lead to disease, disability, and death. The knowledge about human health and disease gained over the past decade is one of the great success stories in the modern era of science. Challenges remain, however, in translating new knowledge gained through biomedical research into improved human health and into earlier and more effective interventions in human disease and disability. That is, the discovery process that has been so successful in unraveling the complexity of human biology must be conjoined with an enhanced development process that translates new knowledge into innovative products and services used to enhance the health and welfare of people from all walks of life, both in the United States and around the world. Then, improved delivery mechanisms must be designed to facilitate the distribution of new products and services from the research laboratory to the bedsides of patients who need them. Biomedical research is a continuum that starts with the discovery of new knowledge; moves through the development stage, where new products and services are designed from the new knowledge; and ends with the delivery of new products and services to all those who can benefit from them. This continuum of biomedical research is reflected in the NIH Roadmap for Medical Research announced in 2003 by Dr Zerhouni (1). The NIH Roadmap initiative pursues three fundamental objectives: 1. Stimulate the development of novel approaches to unravel the complexity of biological systems and their regulation (the “New Pathways to Discovery” theme); 2. Explore ways to reduce the cultural and administrative barriers that often impede research on novel approaches (the “Research Teams of the Future” theme); 3. Initiate renovations in translational and clinical research that include a robust, bidirectional flow of information among basic, translational, and clinical scientists (the “Re-engineering the Clinical Research Enterprise” theme). Attainment of the third objective is being pursued by the NIH in part through the Institutional Clinical and Translational Science Awards that were announced by Dr Zerhouni in the late fall of 2005 (2). Biomedical imaging is one arena that has the potential to accelerate progress in biomedical science and technology development across all three of the NIH Roadmap objectives. Imaging science and technology are major contributors to the discovery of new knowledge about cellular and human biology—from the molecular and intracellular levels, through studies in cells and the macroPublished online before print 10.1148/radiol.2441070058