The independent clinical research site network – officially launched in April of this year – is made up of more than 80 sites across five countries.
Founding partner members include Benchmark Research, Clinical Trials of Texas, Diex Research, Fomat Medical Research, Iact Health, LMC Manna Research, Research Centers of America (RCA), and Wake Research.
All site locations have completed VirTrial's training program, which it announced last month. The program aims to prepare clinical research sites for ‘hybrid’ clinical trials, which will include a combination of virtual and in-person visits.
The program includes four ‘modules’ that last 5-10 minutes. After completing, the research sites receive a ‘Virtual Trial Capable’ certificate and badge to display to sponsors and contract research organizations (CROs).
“We are excited hyperCore realizes the importance of getting their entire network trained to be virtual trial capable,” said Kim Kundert, RN, BSN, vice president of operations at VirTrial.
“This coincides with our mission to help support site sustainability as the industry moves forward with implementing technology to reduce the burden on study participants.”
VirTrial also this year joined the Society for Clinical Research Sites’ (SCRS) Global Impact Partner (GIP) program. As a partner, the telehealth and site solution provider will engage with SCRS and provide members expanded capabilities for clinical and virtual trials.
“Our vision is for decentralized hybrid trials where technology and clinical trial sites co-exist,” Kundert told us.
According to the company, the aim is to replace 25-40% of standard trials with remote or clinical trial hybrid site visits.
“We are very supportive of virtual trials having been selected to pilot various platforms over the last couple of years,” said Karri Venn, president of LMC Manna Research, in a statement.
“Our experience has given us direct insight into virtually assisted trials vs. traditionally run trials,” she added. “We’ve seen firsthand not only the operational benefits, but more importantly, the improvement to the patient experience through greater access and reduced burden when participating in a clinical trial.”
