Rutgers has pioneered a decentralized approach to clinical trials that is allowing researchers to accelerate the pace of finding cures, recruit lower-income and underrepresented populations that were previously unable to engage in clinical trials and broaden the studies’ geographic coverage, allowing for more diverse participants and, ultimately, better scientific outcomes.
“This approach that speeds the process of trials and allows more people greater access to participate in studies will in turn improve the depth of the research findings and will allow us to accelerate translating those findings into treatments,” said Reynold Panettieri Jr., vice chancellor for translational medicine and science and director of the Rutgers Institute for Translational Medicine. “The COVID-19 pandemic challenged the traditional approach to clinical trials, which required participants to travel to brick-and-mortar study sites. A crisis requires a nimble approach. Virtual clinical trials like the ones we have launched are fundamentally changing the way the industry conducts clinical trials.” To read the full story.