• PGIMER endocrinologist Dr. Rama Walia has received the Endocrine Society of India (ESI) Best Researcher Award 2025.
• The award-winning study evaluated a novel Ga-mDesmo PET-CT imaging technique for localizing tumors in Cushing’s disease.
• The molecular imaging approach may help identify tiny pituitary tumors that are often missed on conventional scans.
Prof. Rama Walia, an endocrinologist at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, has been awarded the Endocrine Society of India (ESI) Best Researcher Award 2025 for research on a novel PET-CT imaging technique that may improve detection of tumors responsible for Cushing's disease. The annual award recognizes the best original biomedical research published by an ESI member during the preceding year.
According to the Endocrine Society of India, 12 applications from researchers across the country were reviewed before the final selection. Dr. Walia received the award for her study on Ga-mDesmo PET-CT imaging for localizing Cushing's disease tumors, published in the European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging.
Cushing's disease occurs when a pituitary tumor causes the body to produce excess cortisol, a hormone that helps regulate stress and metabolism. The condition can lead to weight gain, high blood pressure, diabetes, bone loss, and other serious health complications.
Locating the tumor is often one of the biggest challenges in treatment because many of these growths are too small to be clearly seen on routine imaging scans.
Prof. Walia's research evaluated a Ga-mDesmo PET-CT imaging technique designed to help doctors identify these difficult-to-detect tumors more accurately. According to the study, the approach improved visualization of tumor tissue, potentially helping surgeons pinpoint the source of excess hormone production before treatment.
Surgery remains the primary treatment for Cushing's disease, but treatment outcomes depend on accurately identifying the tumor before the procedure. Because many pituitary tumors are small and difficult to detect, delayed diagnosis can complicate treatment planning.
According to Prof. Walia's study, the Ga-mDesmo PET-CT technique helped improve tumor localization, which could support earlier diagnosis and more targeted surgical treatment for patients with Cushing's disease.
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The Endocrine Society of India's Best Researcher Award 2025 recognizes Dr. Rama Walia's contribution to improving the diagnosis of Cushing's disease, a condition in which delayed tumor detection can complicate treatment.
By helping doctors identify small pituitary tumors more accurately, the Ga-mDesmo PET-CT approach could support earlier treatment planning and more precise surgical decision-making for affected patients.
References:
Walia, Rama, A. M. Chakraborty, S. Pandey, et al. “A Novel Molecular Imaging Technique Using [68Ga]Ga-mDesmo PET-CT for Localizing Tumors in Cushing's Disease.” European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging 52, no. 12 (2025): 4558–4568. DOI: 10.1007/s00259-025-07304-0. PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40304780/
(Rh/TP/MSM)
