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Promotion of Molecular Imaging Research / Planning and Promotion Unit

Promotion of Molecular Imaging Research

Cutting edge research requires an elaborate support system. The Planning and Promotion Unit of MIC deals with the various requirements arising from the wide range of activities performed in the center. This Unit comprises 4 sections: Research Promotion Section, Clinical Research Support Section, and Imaging Technology Section for the backup and promotion of research activities, and the Administration Section for clerical duties. Not only performing typical research promotion activities, but also making drafts for research plans, fund-raising, mounting public relation activities, and coordinating arrangements associated with intellectual property are realized by a team of experts whose professional backgrounds lie in a variety of research and technical fields. In addition, the support system for clinical research is maintained by positioning the full-time Clinical Research Coordinators (CRC) at the core. The Planning and Promotion Unit is designed to chart out the framework for the safe and assured application of radiation in medicine, and dispatching information to and cooperating with other centers as well as agencies external to the NIRS, and deals with the expansion of research activities with flexibility.

 

Supporting the extensive activities of MIC

  1. Research Support System
    In order to support the wide range of research activities of MIC, from bench-to-bedside with emphasis on PET methodology, it is essential to build and maintain an ideal research environment and support system. This is essential not only for us but also for external researchers for the effective execution of their research plans. As a research base of the Molecular Imaging Research Program of the Japanese government, our aim is to open and share our state-of-art facilities with other researchers worldwide. As a strong supporter of this aim, the Planning and Promotion Unit manages the internal website to announce the approval procedures and other paperwork. This allows the researchers to not only learn about the necessities but also help them go through the formalities. In addition, responding to the requests of researchers quickly and flexibly and handling legal arrangements with external institutes such as that of a collaborative research agreement, a confidentiality agreement, and a material transfer agreement comprise another important responsibility of the unit. Furthermore, the unit is expected to acquire and transmit information on competitive funds and other funding opportunities outside the NIRS, support planning an appealing for research projects, applying for external funds, and managing the project. Other missions of the unit include the introduction of the activities of each member of the MIC to the other members as well as to researchers from other institutes, facilitating the exchanges among the different units and research groups of the MIC, and holding and organizing internal meetings to raise awareness among the MIC members. By planning research projects, publishing research achievements, and organizing events that reflect the current social conditions, the Planning and Promotion Unit reaches out to researchers both inside and outside the MIC and provides research support.

  2. Clinical Research Support
    Clinical research can be divided into 2 categories: clinical trials and clinical studies. A clinical trial is designed by pharmaceutical companies; medical institutions are requested to execute these trials. However, a clinical study is based on independent initiatives taken by medical doctors. At the MIC, the Clinical Research Support Section of the Planning and Promotion Unit takes actions to support and promote both categories of clinical research. While serving as the secretariat, the section deals with the internal documents necessary for clinical research such as application, information transmission, and document storage. Further, as part of its role as the provider of support for the execution of clinical research, the section serves as volunteer contact, advocates subject rights, and manages research schedules and databases. This section encourages sharing of the abovementioned support information among researchers and staff throughout the MIC via its internal website. The Clinical Research Section is a team of specialists from multiple fields that includes medical doctors, certified clinical research coordinators (CRC), radiological technologists, radiotracer manager, nurses, neuropsychologist, a system engineer, and an administrative assistant. Its mission is to provide a wide range of services to cooperative clinical research with external as well as internal projects, to assure research ethics, and to allow scientific and high-quality clinical research.

  3. Dissemination and Application of Research Results
    The Research Promotion Section bridges the gap between the research community and non-research communities, which include citizens and the government. The Section distributes information on molecular imaging and serves as a liaison and coordination office. The wide-ranging activities of the Section include publication, website maintenance, periodic revision of brochures, organizing symposia, and participating in both domestic and international academic meetings as an exhibitor to introduce the technology seeds and cutting-edge research achievements of the MIC. Working in close collaboration with researchers, the Section actively disseminates the research results of the MIC. In addition, it promotes fostering activities of human resources at a rate corresponding to the needs of the society. This led to the initiation of the "Diagnostic Imaging Seminar" in FY2006. The goal of this seminar is to foster the development of professionals in molecular imaging, which is a new cross-disciplinary field, and to promote the efficiency and applicability of PET for diagnosis, therapy evaluation, and drug discovery. Registered as a certified seminar of the Japanese Society of Nuclear Medicine (JSNM) as well as the Japan Board of Nuclear Medicine Technology (JBNMT) in FY 2008, the "Diagnostic Imaging Seminar" is bound to become increasingly fruitful.
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