Defense bill includes funds to improve prostate Ca imaging

Congress recently approved $1.6 million in funding for a research program aimed at developing novel imagining technologies for early prostate cancer detection.

The program was created by the AdMeTech Foundation, a nonprofit organization.

"I am delighted to see growing congressional support for AdMeTech Foundation, which has been providing international leadership in the advancement of prostate imaging for over a decade," said Leonard Marks, MD, of UCLA. "If we could see prostate cancer-its location, extent and aggressiveness-we would redefine patient care."

The work of Martin Pomper, MD, of Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, resulted in the development of a promising experimental imaging tool for early detection of prostate cancer. Further funding will enable Dr. Pomper to investigate the ability of these imaging agents to differentiate aggressive from harmless disease strains and to guide treatment, according to an AdMeTech statement.

The funding, contained in the Fiscal Year 2010 Department of Defense Appropriations bill, will support cutting-edge research on imaging for prostate cancer at leading medical institutions. The legislation received key support from Reps. Michael Capuano (D-MA), Elijah Cummings (D-MD), and Diane Watson (D-CA), and Sen. John Kerry (D-MA).