Alliance for Clinical Research Excellence and Safety Fundraising Campaign Announced

With major initiatives now underway in support of its mission to build a collaborative global clinical research system, the Alliance for Clinical Research Excellence and Safety (ACRES) Board of Directors is launching a campaign to raise substantial funding support.

Dr. Eve E. Slater of Columbia University School of Medicine, and Bill Davenhall of ESRI, the world’s largest geographic information systems company, lead the campaign. In addition to her current academic position, Slater is a long-time industry veteran, having formerly served as SVP for health policy at Merck and Pfizer and as Assistant Secretary for Health at the US Department of Health and Human Services. Davenhall, currently senior health advisor to ESRI, is a leading proponent of efforts to integrate information technology, geographics, and demographics to address the complex challenges of health and human services.

Other members of ACRES distinguished Board who are supporting this effort include: Dr. Jose-Luis Gomes do Amaral, a recent President of the World Medical Association; Dr. Briggs Morrison, EVP for Global Medicines Development at AstraZeneca; Dr. Ranga Krishnan, Dean of the Duke-National University of Singapore Medical School; Kenneth E. MacWilliams, President of the Woodrow Wilson Foundation and former CEO of Prudential Capital; Dr. Rebecca Kush, Founder and President of CDISC, the world’s leading clinical trials data-standards organization; Dr. M. Roy Schwarz, past President of the China Medical Board and former SVP for Medical Education and Science at the American Medical Association, former Associate Dean at the University of Washington School of Medicine and and former Dean of the University of Colorado School of Medicine; and Dr. Greg Koski, Board Chairman and ACRES Co-Founder, also of Harvard Medical School and former Director of the US Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP) of the Department of Health and Human Services.

“ACRES has reached critical mass and is making excellent progress in all of its key initiatives,” noted Koski. “In every crucial domain, from site development and information technology to quality management and safety, we are pushing ahead,” he added.

Conceived in response to wide-spread acknowledgement of the pressing need to address world-wide systemic deficiencies in the clinical research and therapeutic drug development enterprise, ACRES has established a broad-based multi-stakeholder alliance to collaboratively build a shared global network system that will accelerate drug development and reduce costs while enhancing safety, quality and efficiency.

“ACRES’ alliance model is working remarkably well,” said ACRES COO Dr. Matthew Whalen. “By establishing strategic relationships with literally dozens of industry and non-profit partners as well as with governments around the world, it is clear ACRES global integrated systems approach resonates in value and feasibility.”

Dr. Slater, Development Campaign Co-Chair said, “ACRES allies have already given millions to the ACRES effort through contributions of technology and in-kind services, in addition to their invaluable personal commitments. Seed funding from individuals and industry donors, including AstraZeneca and Pfizer, has been invested very wisely and effectively to dramatically advance this effort, and given this performance, the Board believes the time is right to move this effort to a new level.”

“An investment of about $50M is needed to build and implement this self-sustaining, shared global system over the next five years,” Davenhall indicated, “and we estimate the return on that investment will likely exceed $5B annually. The key to success will be broad-based collaboration and funding from all who believe that innovative therapies can improve the quality of life and productivity for all people.”