ACORN Expands Oncology Information Portfolio

Memphis, TN-May 27, 2008-Accelerated Community Oncology Research Network (ACORN; www.acornresearch.net), an oncology-focused CRO and research network, announced today its expansion of the company's aggregated information portfolio with a proprietary oncology-focused data warehouse. Integrating patient-reported outcomes (PROs), electronic medical records (EMR), claims data, and laboratory information systems, garnered from community oncology practices nationwide where 85% of cancer care is provided, ACORN's unique data warehouse offers reliable information solutions to payers, financial institutions, pharmaceutical / biotech companies, and community oncology practices.

With the recent announcement of the company's accrual of over one million comprehensive physical and psychological cancer patient assessments obtained via the Patient Assessment Care and Education (PACE) System PACE and continued market uptake of Guardian EDC (web-based electronic data capture), ACORN continues to demonstrate leadership in capturing unique electronic data into a single platform for easy access across the full range of data elements and conducting scientific analysis to generate reliable information solutions in the oncology industry.

According to Chief Executive Officer Steve Coplon, "We are not just the purveyors of data; we analyze it, and provide solutions through our multimodal capabilities. Our national network of oncologists, nurses, and practice administrators works closely with our PhD statisticians, psychologists, and health economists on staff to conduct unique analysis which has been well received across multiple industries. ACORN's data warehouse has reached critical mass in that it now provides a representative sample of most cancer types and treatment regimens. Many pharmaceutical, biotech, insurance companies, and others have been pleased with our ability to answer important questions on a whole array of cancer and quality of life issues. This is achieved by having a diverse and full complement of reliable data sets that are assessed and analyzed by our experienced scientific team."

ACORN's unique data warehouse enables pharmacoeconomic and health outcomes analysis previously unachievable. "In addition to traditional sources of information, we have a unique component in our PACE PRO gathering capability which allows us to scientifically analyze patients' symptom burden and quality of life," states Mark Walker, director of scientific management. "Historically, the analysis of treatments and outcomes, either clinical or economic across different patient populations, has not included rigorous measurements of patient-reported outcomes, both physical and psychological. In addition, Pharma and payer sectors are finding increased value from ACORN's immediate access to hundreds of thousands of oncology patients."