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ACRIN – Ten Excellent Years
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ACRIN Past and Future
• Origins of ACRIN
• ACRIN’s initial organization
– Structure
– People
• Accomplishments
• The Future
ACRIN: The Beginning
– Dr. Robert Wittes convenes
two meetings to discuss the
“feasibility” of multi-center trials of
imaging
• Growing importance of imaging
to cancer care
• Imaging as a marker of
treatment response
• Imaging to describe cancer
biology
• 1997
ACRIN: The Beginning
• 1997 – Inception of NCI DIP
(later BIP, now CIP)
• Early 1998 – Issuance of
RFA for a clinical trials
“network” for imaging as it
relates to cancer
– Linked HQ and BC grants
– Avoid the bureaucracy of established groups
– Non-member
ACRIN: The Beginning
• 1998 – ACR asked that I apply on
behalf of ACR
– Recruit C. Gatsonis
– C. Olson as support staff
– Organization of individuals
and sites
• Sept. 1998 – RFA awarded to ACRIN
• Sept. 1998-March 1999 –
Development of early infrastructure
– Staff
– Electronic communications
– Bylaws and procedures
ACRIN’s Mission
Conduct clinical trials of imaging
technologies to improve the
length and quality of the lives of
cancer patients.
ACRIN in the Beginning
ACRIN in the Beginning
Early ACRIN Needs
• What we had:
– Passion about our mission
– Good science
– Growing interest from sites and researchers
• What we needed:
– Quality management
– Fiscal planning and direction
– Improved reliability
– Advocacy
If you try some time,
You might find
You get what you need.
- The Rolling Stones
What We Needed
ACRIN Accomplishments
• 30 multi-center trials including signal trials
that have changed cancer surveillance
and care
– High profile imaging screening trials
– Trials of all applications of imaging
Screening
Diagnosis
Staging
Treatment
Response
Marker
ACRIN Accomplishments
• A network of more than 200 qualified sites
• Hundreds of researchers
– Radiologists and other clinicians
– Site RAs
– Statisticians and methodologists
– Patient advocates
– ACR staff
ACRIN Accomplishments
• Cadre of research associates to improve
research in radiology departments
– Active in all ACRIN activities
– Education and training programs
– Enhanced effectiveness for radiology
research in the future
Research Associates
ACRIN Accomplishments
• Patient Advocate Committee - advocacy
participation and community outreach for
imaging trials
– Project IMPACT
– Participation in all ACRIN trials and committees
– Educate key decision makers of the importance
of imaging to research and care
Patient Advocates
Well-Trained Clinical Researchers
• “Laboratory” for research training and
accomplishment
– Further development of established
researchers
– Exposure and training for new clinical
researchers
ACRIN Accomplishments
• All electronic network with infrastructure,
policies, and procedures
• Data archive for secondary research and
new product development
• Dissemination of standards for conducting
imaging trials
• Improved awareness of the importance of
imaging to cancer research and care
ACRIN Accomplishments
Treatment Cooperative Groups
Industry/
Foundations
Patient Advocate
Groups
Government
ACRIN
SPOREs
Academia
Cancer Centers
Community Hospitals
and Clinics
The Future
• 1999-2003: Target of opportunity
• 2004-2007: Objective-driven
• 2008-2013: Greater sophistication
– Consistent with the progression toward
molecular medicine and individualized
cancer care
• Targeted surveillance of at-risk populations
• Characterization of cancer to drive targeted
therapies
• Predictive and prognostic biomarkers of
cancer treatment
ACRIN Diversification
• Achieve funding that allows for trials other
than cancer – CV and CNS to start
– ACRIN Fund for Innovative Imaging to
diversify outside of cancer
• Springboard to other funding
– NHLBI
– NINDS
– ACR Image Metrix profits
– PA-CURE and foundations
When a blind beetle
crawls over the
surface of a
curved branch,
it doesn’t notice
that the track it has
covered is indeed
curved.
- Albert Einstein