A Databases Advancing Healthy Volunteer Through Inclusive Recruitment Practices
Healthy volunteer databases are foundational to early-phase clinical research, yet many remain outdated and demographically narrow. Historically, registries have drawn from limited populations, producing data that fails to reflect real-world diversity. This lack of representation undermines scientific validity and creates downstream challenges for sponsors and regulators alike. The Regulatory and Scientific Case for Diversity Inclusive […]
What CROs Overlook When Recruiting for Long In-House Stays
Recruitment for clinical trials is never simple, but when studies require participants to remain in a clinic or research facility for extended periods, the challenges multiply. Long in-house stays, common in early-phase pharmacology trials, demand more than a standard recruitment plan. They require a retention strategy that begins before the first participant arrives and continues […]
Strategies for Ongoing Engagement from Subjects During Clinical Trials
Recruitment is only the first hurdle in a successful clinical trial. Maintaining participant engagement and ensuring compliance throughout the study are equally critical. High dropout rates or protocol deviations can jeopardize data integrity, delay timelines, and increase costs. For early phase CROs, proactive strategies to keep subjects involved and compliant can make the difference between […]
What Makes a CRO Audit-Ready All Year Long?
The phrase “Regulatory audit” can cause anxiety into even the most seasoned CRO professionals. For many, who see an audit as an isolated event, it conjures images of frantic, last-minute preparations, often referred to as “fire-drill audit culture.” This reactive approach, while sometimes seemingly effective in the short term, is unsustainable and carries risks. Patient […]
What Sponsors Need to Know Before Their First-in-Human Trial
Launching a first-in-human (FIH) study marks one of the most critical milestones in a drug’s journey from discovery to development. It is the moment when preclinical promise meets clinical reality, and every decision made at this stage, scientific, operational, and regulatory, can shape the trajectory of the entire program. For sponsors embarking on their first […]
Connecting Policy to CRO-Level Decisions in Bioequivalence Study Planning
Bioequivalence (BE) studies rely on a close connection between regulatory policy and the operational decisions made by CROs long before the first volunteer arrives on site. The success of a BE program depends on how well a CRO can interpret evolving guidance and translate it into protocol design, analytical preparation, statistical planning, recruitment strategies, and […]
How AI and Digital Monitoring Are Changing Clinical Trial Design in 2025
AI and digital monitoring have reached a turning point in 2025. After several years of incremental adoption, these tools are now reshaping how protocols are designed, how data is collected, and how sponsors think about feasibility and operational risk. The shift is not about replacing clinical teams. Instead, it is about elevating quality, accelerating insights, […]
How the FDA’s 2025 Guidance Updates Are Reshaping Clinical Trials
The FDA’s 2025 draft guidance updates are set to change the way sponsors and their partners approach early-phase clinical development. For CROs, these updates aren’t just regulatory checkpoints, they represent new expectations around trial design, execution, and long-term planning. As sponsors seek CROs who can interpret, operationalize, and anticipate regulatory shifts, the ability to navigate […]
Why Data Entry Is the Backbone of Every Clinical Study
In clinical research, data is the backbone of every trial. Sponsors, regulators, and patients all depend on its accuracy to guide decisions about safety, efficacy, and approval. Yet one of the most critical steps in this process, data entry, is often underestimated as “just” administrative work. How data is entered, verified, and managed can make […]
Seeing What Topicals Really Do at the Microscopic Level
In clinical research, every decision about product development hinges on data. For topical drugs and dermatology products in particular, gathering that data has always been a challenge. How do you know, with certainty, that an active ingredient is doing what it is supposed to do once it reaches the skin? Traditional approaches have left sponsors […]