WHAT: A two-hour media briefing on leading edge imaging technologies, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory, exclusively for working journalists. Brookhaven-sponsored research using these technologies is yielding new insights into the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis, osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, and other devastating illnesses.

WHO: Hosted by John Marburger, III, Ph.D., the Laboratory's director, the morning will feature presentations by four Brookhaven researchers who are pioneering important imaging technologies with existing or potential applications in bioscience.

William Rooney, Ph.D., will discuss high-field MRI and a new clinical study that will identify changes in brain physiology that may predict multiple sclerosis lesion development by pinpointing subtle changes in blood vessels.

Robert Sweet, Ph.D., of Brookhaven's National Synchrotron Light Source, will discuss X-ray crystallography investigations into the 3-D structures of proteins and DNA. This research will help determine functions and identify promising drug targets.

Stanislaus Wong, Ph.D., will discuss his real-time studies with nanotechnology and scanning probe microscopy on the topography, chemical structure, and dynamics of Alzheimer's amyloids and other proteins.

Lisa Miller, Ph.D., will discuss her synchrotron infrared micro-spectroscopy research on bone composition in osteoarthritis and osteoporosis, which may provide important clues on early diagnosis, prevention, and treatment. She will also discuss new studies on Alzheimer's plaques' composition and on whether they occur in the body outside the central nervous system.

WHEN: Thursday, December 14, 2000, 8:30 - 10:30 a.m.

WHERE: The New York Academy of Sciences, 2 East 63rd Street, New York, NY

AUDIOCONFERENCE OPTION: Call 1-800-288-8976 and ask for the "Brookhaven Journalists Briefing"

PLEASE RSVP TO DENNIS TARTAGLIA. Ph: 212-481-7000
E-mail: [email protected]