Trial Design

An overview of how recent funding reductions are reshaping clinical trial operations, from site sustainability and patient recruitment to trial design and long-term strategy.

A 2025 survey highlights growing momentum for multi-indication drug development, with opportunities in innovative trial design, targeted patient selection, and real-world evidence to speed label expansion.

In this episode of the Applied Clinical Trials Brief, we recap our three most-viewed stories of the previous week with a look into the FDA’s heightened scrutiny of trial design, the wind-down of federal mRNA vaccine programs, and how digital innovation is reshaping the clinical research landscape.

In this pilot episode of the Applied Clinical Trials Brief, we examine the renewed push for placebo-controlled vaccine trials in the US, why experts warn it violates core ethical standards, and how these proposals could jeopardize both participant safety and future innovation.

In this video interview, Michael Miller, chief operating officer at Quanterix, outlines key technical and regulatory considerations for clinical operations professionals integrating biomarkers into studies, stressing the importance of clarity on biomarker purpose and working with qualified assay partners.

In this video interview, Michael Miller, chief operating officer at Quanterix, highlights neurology and oncology as two therapeutic areas experiencing major advances from biomarker integration, from blood-based diagnostics in Alzheimer’s to multiomic strategies in cancer research.

In this video interview, Michael Miller, chief operating officer at Quanterix, discusses how the use of biomarkers is expanding beyond exploratory endpoints to inform efficacy and patient selection, driving improved outcomes and greater efficiency in clinical research.

New statistical frameworks such as net treatment benefit offer a multidimensional approach to evaluating efficacy, safety, and patient-centered outcomes in oncology trials.

Complete Response Letters recently issued by the FDA signal heightened scrutiny of trial design and reinforce the agency’s shifting regulatory expectations for sponsors and CROs.

In this video interview, Ramita Tandon, chief biopharma officer at Walgreens, outlines her five-year vision for community-based research, calling for deeper industry alignment, infrastructure expansion, and patient-first design principles.

A new global report finds that clinical research teams are making progress but still lack the skills and tools needed to keep pace with growing trial complexity and emerging technologies.

Results from the Phase III FORTITUDE-101 trial showed that bemarituzumab combined with chemotherapy demonstrated both statistical significance and clinical relevance in previously untreated patients with unresectable locally advanced or metastatic gastric or gastroesophageal junction cancer who are FGFR2b-positive and HER2-negative.

At ASCO 2025, clinical operations leaders gained critical insights into how AI tools, bispecific antibodies, and evolving treatment paradigms are reshaping trial design, endpoint selection, and patient stratification.

In this video interview, Matt Robinson, PhD, senior director, oncology research program, National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), shares his perspective on how clinical operations teams can evolve through patient-centered trial design, multi-disciplinary support, and enhanced education to address persistent barriers in cancer trial enrollment over the next five years.

Navigating a complex drug development landscape, sponsors must rethink their approach to risk in study design and execution.

Overcoming the illusion of knowledge in clinical research can enhance decision-making, training, and project success—helping ensure trials run smoothly and effectively.

In this video interview, Krinx Kong, chief commercial officer, Cognivia, discusses how trial design and timelines could be impacted by a potential mandate for placebo use across all vaccine trials.

In this video interview, C.K. Wang, MD, chief medical officer, COTA, highlights cost and treatment sequencing as some of oncology’s largest hurdles.

In this video interview, Derek Ansel, vice president, therapeutic strategy lead, rare disease, Worldwide Clinical Trials, discusses the most prominent challenges he is seeing in the space right now including competing research priorities and finding endpoints.

An increase in protocol complexity is paving the way for machine learning models to optimize trial design.

The future of clinical trial design involves incorporating the patient experience into strategic asset planning.

In this video interview, Thierry Escudier, portfolio lead, Pistoia Alliance, discusses how an emphasis on patient centricity can encourage more sustainable trial designs.

Anticipating divestment, reallocation of investments, and retrenchment.

COVID-19 not only advanced scientific boundaries, but also transformed research methodologies and accelerated adaptive clinical trial design.

Teams must work together with technology solutions and optimize integration to unlock their full potential.