Welcome to Beijing CEST 2018！The 7th International Workshop on Chemical Exchange Saturation Transfer (CEST) imaging and the first one in this workshop series to be organized in Asia. CEST imaging is an important molecular MR imaging technique, originally pioneered by Robert S. Balaban and his group at the National Institutes of Health (USA) in 2000. CEST imaging has been steadily advancing since then and rapidly expanding on many fronts in recent years.
The CEST Imaging workshop series started in 2010, and six workshops have been held at universities in USA and Europe: University of Torino, Italy (January 2010, 1st workshop), University of Texas at Dallas, USA (June 2011, 2nd workshop), Johns Hopkins University, USA (October CEST, October 2012, 3rd workshop ), University of Torino, Italy (May 2014, 4th workshop), University of Pennsylvania, USA (Penn-CEST, October 2015, 5th workshop), and Vanderbilt University, USA (Music City CEST, August 2017, 6thworkshop). Beijing CEST 2018 will continue the tradition of presenting the latest developments in this exciting and rapidly advancing field.
Beijing CEST 2018 will focus on the technical development of CEST imaging and clinical applications in a broad spectrum of diseases. The goal is to bring together researchers from varying backgrounds and clinicians from related disciplines, and to provide a forum for communication among these multi-disciplinary groups. Additionally, this workshop will engage Chinese and Asian community in CEST imaging studies to foster potential collaborations.
The workshop will feature a blend of invited scientific presentations, proffered papers, power-pitch poster presentations, and panel discussions on hot topics. The meeting will give everyone an opportunity to present and learn emerging clinical applications of CEST imaging. Young Investigator and International Travel Awards will be presented to students, post-doctoral fellows, and clinical residents who will be selected based on their abstract presentations.
