Reston, Virginia (June 10, 2026) —The Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) is pleased to announce the recipients of five Drs. Jane & Abass Alavi Mars Shot Research Awards from SNMMI’s 2026 Mars Shot Fund. With a focus on advancing imaging research in infection and inflammation, the awards will support studies on inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), artery inflammation, diabetic bone infections, prosthetic joint infections, and rheumatoid arthritis.
Winners of the Alavi Mars Shot Research Awards include:
“This year’s Alavi Mars Shot Research Awards reflect the extraordinary breadth and real-world urgency of prompt nuclear medicine imaging of infection and inflammation,” said Mars Shot Fund Chair Richard Wahl, MD, professor at Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. “By accelerating innovative imaging science across these diverse conditions, we’re expanding what nuclear medicine potentially can offer so clinicians can make better-informed decisions.”
“These awards ultimately have the power to transform patient care,” said Mars Shot Fund Co-Chair Munir Ghesani, associate professor of radiology and neurosurgery at Mount Sinai in New York.
The SNMMI Mars Shot Research Fund, established in 2023, is helping build the innovation that drives the future of nuclear medicine. It provides resources that potentially can translate visionary nuclear medicine imaging, radiopharmaceutical therapy, and data science research or projects into tools or treatments that will help improve the lives of patients.
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About the SNMMI Mars Shot Research Fund
The MarsShot for Nuclear Medicine, Molecular Imaging, and Molecularly TargetedRadiopharmaceutical Therapy is a forward-looking glimpse into the future of nuclear medicine. Its goal is to provide resources for the translation of visionary nuclear medicine imaging, radiopharmaceutical therapy, and data science research or projects into tools or treatments helping improve the lives of patients.
About the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
The Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) is an international scientific and medical organization dedicated to advancing nuclear medicine, molecular imaging, and theranostics—precision medicine that allows diagnosis and treatment to be tailored to individual patients in order to achieve the best possible outcomes. For more information, visit www.snmmi.org .