The National Neuroscience Institute (NNI) is proud to announce that Mr Esben Petersen, 31, a Researcher with the institute’s Department of Neuroradiology, has won the prestigious I. I. Rabi Basic Science "Young Investigator Award" at the recent 13th Annual Scientific Meeting of the International Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (ISMRM). The I.I. Rabi Award is given for original basic research in magnetic resonance, and named after Isidor Isaac Rabi, the 1944 Nobel Prize winner for Physics.

At the ISMRM meeting held in Miami, Florida, USA from 7 – 13 May 2005 which attracted over 4,500 delegates, Mr Petersen impressed the judges with his pioneering work on new MR arterial spin labelling (ASL) technique. This non-invasive procedure shows great promise to allow measurement of the amount of blood flowing into brain tissue. For a stroke patient, it can measure the blood flow to the part of the brain where the stroke occurred and help determine the extent of the damage to the brain without the need for injecting any contrast agent to see the images. This can have a tremendous benefit to patients since there is no radiation involved, no painful injections and repeated studies can be done easily.

Mr Petersen, a Danish national, arrived in Singapore to join the Neuroradiology Department in February 2004. He works under the supervision of Dr Xavier Golay, an MR physicist and in collaboration with Dr Tchoyoson Lim, a Consultant Neuroradiologist. At this meeting, the multi-national neuroradiological MRI research team attracted international attention for their outstanding research as well as recognition for Singapore as a biomedical hub, producing good scientific research work.

Many of the past recipients for this award were researchers working in some of the world’s renowned institutes in North America and Europe. This is the first time the award has been given outside North America and Europe.

According to Mr Petersen, "Receiving the award is an honour and a highlight of my work on arterial spin labelling techniques. The good teamwork with my colleagues at the NNI made the move towards non-invasive quantitative perfusion methods possible, which could be beneficial to patients and physiological research in the future."

ABOUT ISMRM

The International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (ISMRM) is an international, nonprofit and largest scientific association concerned with magnetic resonance in medicine. Its aim is to promote communication, research, development, and applications in the field of magnetic resonance in medicine, biology and other related topics as well as developing and providing channels and facilities for continuing education in the field. Membership consists of over 5,000 clinicians, physicists, engineers and biochemists, from over 40 different countries.