ACR Set to Coordinate Image Collection for COVID-19 Study

The American College of Radiology (ACR) announced this week its Center for Research and Innovation (CRI) will spearhead the imaging coordination for a multi-institutional study focusing on patients who have severe, acute COVID-19 infection.

ACR will collaborate with Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) for this endeavor that is funded by the National Institutes of Health National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

This initiative, called the COVID-19 Observational Study (CORAL) is part of a national hospital network known as Prevention & Early Treatment of Acute Lung Injury (PETAL) Network and will bring together clinical and imaging data, as well as outcomes for patients who have severe infections. The goal is to support and inform epidemiology and resource utilization.

“We at the ACR are pleased and proud to be part of the effort by our colleagues who are caring for patients suffering with COVID-19 who require hospital care,” said Etta Pisano, M.D., ACR chief research officer. “We hope the collection of imaging and clinical data that the PETAL project creates will lead to improved treatment and diagnosis of COVID-19 complications, including advanced lung disease, stroke, and cardiac dysfunction.”

To make this impact, ACR officials said, the study has a three-pronged approach. First, it will establish a registry. Second, individuals involved will design a cohort of biospecimen collection, clinical phenotyping, and outcomes. And, lastly, they will assess health systems.

The ACR CRI is responsible for collecting imaging exams from registry enrollees and identifying associations between those images and clinical data. These images will be archived and will be available to other researchers after the study has finished.