PPD, Inc. and VirtualScopics, Inc. have expanded their one-year strategic alliance in clinical and medical imaging services to include oncology, central nervous system, cardiovascular, general medicine and medical devices. The alliance was established in October 2010 and initially focused on oncology drug development.
 
"Medical imaging plays a critical role in advancing drug development, and this alliance strengthens our global research and development services across several large disease areas," said Paul Colvin, executive vice president of global clinical development for PPD. "Through our strategic alliance with VirtualScopics, we are able to provide clients with more advanced imaging data via an integrated solution so they can make important development decisions related to patient safety and eligibility protocols, drug efficacy and study endpoints."
 
Jeff Markin, president and chief executive officer of VirtualScopics, said, "This announcement signifies a very visible milestone in our partnership with PPD. Sponsors across the industry had become accustomed to the complexities and inefficiencies of managing the broader clinical aspects and medical imaging components of clinical trials separately. This alliance has shown that there are clear and quantifiable benefits of integrating these pieces together in a seamless fashion.”