Syneos Health announced the creation of a decentralized clinical trial (DCT) site network, with the aim of increasing the adoption of DCTs, and the digital health technology solutions associated with them.
In a report published last year, Syneos outlined that it expected the top trend moving forward in the delivery of clinical trials to be greater innovation in study design and execution, particularly in flexible decentralized engagement.
As part of its push in this direction, the DCT site network will be made up of ‘catalyst sites’, which are ‘high performing’ sites organized by therapeutic area, by network, and through principal investigators.
The site network will be first launched in the US and Canada, but the organization plans to expand this to include numerous sites across Europe and the APAC region.
Syneos stated that the following therapeutic areas will be included within the DCT site network: internal and general medicine, family practice, neurology, endocrinology, pediatrics, psychiatry, dermatology, cardiology, obstetrics and gynecology, ophthalmology, and respiratory.
Noolie Gregory, VP of DCT operations, Syneos Health, said, “The DCT Site Network will allow for faster triage of sites to be considered for DCT studies, creating efficiencies in site adoption, training, and allowing for more successful implementation across the board. We’re excited to harness the power of this network and realize meaningful momentum for our customers and industry partners as the demand for DCTs and digital health technology solutions continues to increase.”
As part of the announcement, Syneos noted that the greater use of digital health technology means that there is an increased opportunity to collect real-time data and real-world insights, which can support and influence commercialization strategies.
According to the company, its current DCT approach sees Syneos offer a dedicated decentralized solutions team to generate fully integrated clinical research, real world evidence and commercial insights.
In terms of how this works, Syneos states that it coordinates with partners to identify opportunities for a decentralized approach early in the planning process to increase efficiency, reduce cost, and speed development. The company is able to offer in-home nursing service, consultation of the correct wearables for DCTs, and offering solutions delivered by partners.
An example of Syneos’ work to deliver solutions alongside partners was seen earlier this year in February, when the company partnered with Haystack Health. The collaboration sees Syneos gain access to an AI tool that can be used to provide identification and matching services to discover patients for clinical trials.
