Blog posts
The biggest misconceptions about agentic AI readiness
To say there’s movement within the agentic life sciences market would be an understatement. According to seven different market research organizations, the “Agentic AI in clinical trials market” is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of anywhere between 12.5% and 43%.
While many sponsors and CROs surveyed want agentic AI operating at some level within their clinical trials, almost none of them think they're ready for it. "Our systems don't talk to each other." "Our data is a mess." "We need a two-year foundation project before we can even think about agents." These aren't fringe concerns, they're the default assumptions in nearly every boardroom conversation about AI adoption.
Here's the problem. Those assumptions are very wrong, and they're costing sponsors real time. While teams wait for the "right" conditions to start, the gap between early movers and everyone else keeps widening. The truth is, readiness isn't a prerequisite for agentic AI, it's a byproduct of starting.
Below, we take on the myths that keep organizations stuck in planning mode, and the facts that show why the window to start is now, not after your data is perfectly clean and your stack is fully unified.
SaaS’ advancements unlock new possibilities in clinical research
The rise of SaaS has transformed industries, including life sciences, by enabling new possibilities. For instance, Salesforce revolutionized how organizations managed their customers and future clients with its cloud-based software, enhancing accessibility and collaboration. Similarly, Canva made graphic design tools accessible to all, empowering professionals and casual users alike.
How platforms solved clinical trials’ disparate data problem across eCOA, eConsent, and more
Our world is drowning in data.
Humanity generates a staggering 402.74 million terabytes of information every day. From the countless videos we stream to the endless social media scrolling, our global digital footprint is growing exponentially. This data deluge is reshaping industries, influencing our lives, and posing unprecedented challenges.
Within clinical trials, rapidly evolving technologies are enabling researchers to capture new data points as trials grow more complex. However, this poses new challenges in managing clinical trial data.
DPHARM ‘24: Top news and trends from this year’s conference
With the 14th annual DPHARM® wrapping up, we talked to our peers across the industry to find out what the big themes and takeaways were from this year’s conference.
Control and transparency: Solving sponsors’ key challenges in eCOA development and study launch with Studio
There’s no doubt that study launches come with extremely high stakes for sponsors requiring precise coordination over numerous critical activities across multiple stakeholders, including regulatory bodies, ethics committees, investigator sites, and internal teams. Now, sponsors can see exactly what’s happening live across assessments, instruments, translations, and more. This is true whether their internal teams handle launch activities or whether vendors handle them, a stark contrast to the traditional technology development process.
Creating success with digital measures
The landscape of clinical trials is undergoing a significant transformation as digital measures and digital health technologies (DHTs) continue to evolve and prove their worth.
As of December 2023, approximately 1,550 clinical trials worldwide utilized wearable devices, representing about 2% of all trials. While this percentage may seem small, it marks a steady increase since 2014, and the momentum is set to accelerate.
Evidence generation evolved
The pharmaceutical industry faces a daunting challenge: it takes an average of 12 years and $3 billion to bring a new drug to patients, with the FDA approving an average of 50 new therapies yearly.
This pace is inadequate to address humanity's needs and our own future goal of helping the industry produce ten times the number of treatments it does today.
A significant bottleneck is the lengthy clinical trial process, where Phase 3 studies alone can span three years or more. However, a critical factor compounding these timelines is the difficulty in recruiting sufficient patients for these crucial studies, often adding up to 2 years to the already protracted journey.
What happened at ASCO 2024
The annual American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting in Chicago highlighted the latest new molecules, methods of care, and innovation in cancer care.
As the show closed out, we checked in with our associates to see what they thought were the biggest news and trends of the show.
Evolving Total Consent: Introducing digitally-enabled biosample consent storage
Within biosample storage, a “nightmare scenario” exists that Medable and our clients discuss regularly.
Some years ago, a sponsor with tens of thousands of biosample specimens identified that they had lost the ability to link their biobank samples' documented consent for storage (and further research). The consent for these samples was taken on paper, but a system to collate and file the consent data attributed to each specimen was not implemented. When the organization couldn’t find the paper consent, they were forced to dispose of thousands of biospecimens, losing the ability to conduct valuable research and potentially millions of dollars of lost IP.
Ahead of ASCO: Opportunities for A More Modern, Equitable Oncology Enterprise
In the lead-up to ASCO 2024 the oncology enterprise has much to celebrate. New drug approvals at FDA reached a three-decade high with anticancer drugs representing the largest percentage of new approvals. EHR vendors are making proactive commitments to cancer data standards to support scientific breakthroughs and more effective cancer treatment. And, for the first time ever, payers are offering a new reimbursable pathway for improved cancer outcomes via comprehensive supportive care.
Email: The gold standard for clinical trials
Within clinical research, email is not just a compliant and valuable tool, it’s commonly the gold standard when communicating with participants. Read on to find out why.
Simply digital: Trial technologies help reduce oncology’s burden
With the share of oncology trials continuing to increase, the case for using digital tools in these trials grows with it.
Today, cancer trials are the most commonly researched of all diseases, with their share of clinical trials growing each year. According to research from Tufts CSDD, the number of cancer drugs “has nearly quadrupled since 2000, to 1,489 trials in 2021, up from 421 two decades earlier.”
Tufts CSDD notes that this growth comes as “oncology drug developers are increasingly shifting toward precision medicine, embracing new molecular targets and improvements in genetic sequencing technologies”
How partnership ensured a successful first digital trial
Since our inception in 2015, Medable has conducted over 300+ digital and decentralized trials using eCOA, eConsent, telehealth, and more. However, just as a bell curve shows, adoption rates for new technologies can wildly vary across our industry. While some organizations quickly implement new technologies, others take a more cautious approach.
Together, this team, which included Mihai Viisan, a Solution Design SME, Luka Ajduk, a Product Implementation Lead, and Ted Meyer, the Supply Chain Coordinator, built a trusting working relationship in which Medable led study implementation.