Molecular Imaging Research, Inc., a company that provides pre-clinical evaluation of novel anti-cancer agents for cancer research on a contract basis, announces today the appointment of two key executives for the newly formed company. Wilbur R. Leopold, Ph.D., is appointed as president and William L. Elliott, Ph.D. is named as vice president. Both Leopold and Elliott held leading research roles in cancer pharmacology with Pfizer, Inc. (NYSE:PFE) in Ann Arbor, Mich.

“We are delighted to have both Dr. Leopold and Dr. Elliott join our management team,” noted Prasad Sunkara, Ph.D., chief executive officer of Molecular Imaging Research. “Their extensive experience in cancer research and drug development increases the depth of our cancer research offering and will allow us to quickly assist clients early in their research programs.”

As president of Molecular Imaging Research, Dr. Leopold will be responsible for strategic direction of the company and will lead overall operations. Before joining the company, Dr. Leopold held responsibility for the cancer pharmacology department and was the co-leader of the Ann Arbor Cancer Drug Discovery Program at Pfizer, Inc.

Dr. Leopold received his Ph.D. in Oncology from the McArdle Institute for Cancer Research at the University of Wisconsin. Upon completion of his degree, he joined the Chemotheraphy Department of Southern Research Institute, Birmingham, Alabama, as research oncologist, where he investigated the therapeutic potential of novel anticancer agents. Dr. Leopold is a member of several professional societies including the American Association for Cancer Research and the American Society of Clinical Oncology. He has published over 90 papers in the field of cancer drug discovery and evaluation.

As vice president, Dr. Elliott will have responsibility for the management of all client contracts and scientific direction of new services development, with a focus on experimental therapeutics and in vivo models. Prior to joining Molecular Imaging Research, Dr. Elliott was responsible for the experimental oncology group at Pfizer where he oversaw the in vivo evaluation of all candidate oncology products in Ann Arbor, Mich..

Dr. Elliot received post-doctoral training at the Laboratory for Experimental Oncology at the Indiana University School of Medicine and University of Massachusetts Medical School. He received his Ph.D. in cancer research from the Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy, Purdue University School of Pharmacy. He is an active member of the American Association for Cancer Research and has published more than 60 papers on various aspects of cancer research.