Reston, Va. - The American College of Radiology (ACR) has named pharmaceutical industry veteran, Michael J. Morales, general manager of ACR Image Metrix™, the contract research organization (CRO) established earlier this year as a for-profit subsidiary of the ACR. ACR Image Metrix will leverage the ACR's 30 years of experience in coordinating large-scale clinical research to accelerate advances in radiologic care and fund future research.

"I see this as a unique opportunity to bring cutting-edge imaging science and technology to the discovery and development of new pharmaceuticals and medical devices," said Morales. "The ACR has conducted over 300 clinical trials for the National Cancer Institute and ACR Image Metrix can tap into that experience to produce accurate and timely imaging trials to speed new drugs and medical devices to market."

Morales is responsible for the strategic, tactical, and financial operations of ACR Image Metrix, which offers a complete menu of imaging CRO services, from study design to design of electronic data forms and image archiving, to image interpretation and quantification.

"The ACR is proud to have such an accomplished professional leading ACR Image Metrix™. ACR Image Metrix™ allows the College to enhance the ability of various radiology stakeholders to bring lifesaving and life-enhancing advances to patients in a more timely and efficient manner. We are confident that Michael's guidance will enable Image Metrix™ to produce important advances that will benefit patients worldwide," said Harvey L. Neiman, ACR Executive Director.

Morales is former president and CEO of Dimensional HealthCare, Inc., which provided pharmaceutical companies an avenue to collect, evaluate, and report on the use of drug treatments in large patient populations. He also served as vice president of marketing for Parke-Davis and senior product manager at G.D. Searle.

Morales earned a degree in business management from Pepperdine University. He has served on the board of directors of the Alzheimer's Association of Northern New Jersey and is a member of the Drug Information Association (DIA) and the American Society of Hypertension.

About ACR Image Metrix

ACR Image Metrix is headquartered in the College's Philadelphia office, alongside the ACR's clinical research division, the leading research organization in radiology for more than three decades. This division has provided administrative, data management, information technology, image archival, and statistical support for more than 500 clinical research studies.

The ACR and the American College of Radiology Imaging Network (ACRIN®) have a proven history in developing trials that standardize the use of imaging technologies, image transmission and archive, and quantification of image data to reduce variability associated with these activities, reduce the size and cost of trials, and produce more reliable results.

The ACR's clinical research programs are among the largest recipients of federal medical research grants and have an established reputation for handling large-scale clinical trials involving up to 50,000 patients and some 50 million images at a time. ACR Image Metrix will leverage the same infrastructure and expertise, but will provide support to pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology firms, and medical device manufacturers seeking Food and Drug Administration approval to bring new drugs, therapies, and medical devices to market.

Revenue from the various research projects carried out by ACR Image Metrix will be used to help fund future ACRIN, Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG®), and Quality Research in Radiation Oncology (Q-RRO™) studies.

To learn more about ACR Image Metrix please visit www.acr-imagemetrix.net or call (888) 817-0817.