In continuation of our Evolution of Central Labs series, we examine how central labs are responding to sponsor’s ever-growing need to maximize test data capture with each patient during a clinical trial.
 
Biopharmaceutical sponsors are looking to maximize their investment in clinical trials by testing multiple hypotheses within a single protocol and therefore within a single patient. The advancements in science over the past decade enable sponsors to test very specific conditions within a protocol, which greatly increases the complexity of testing schedules and requires more esoteric tests.

With the goal of gathering more data from a single patient within the stated protocol, sponsors are more forward thinking about test data capture. Gathering enough specimens can provide a picture on how a drug will react in their target populations from several angles. For instance if multiple sclerosis patients express a novel exploratory biomarker during a trial, it may lead to a new focus for the drug discovery group leading to a new approach to treatment or cure and can eventually be introduced in the diagnostic setting.

Certainly, the constant changes in testing options and more complex protocols place central labs in a more pivotal role to affect the conduct of a trial. We would like to hear your opinion and thoughts on this topic, and your experience in how central labs are maximizing test data capture under increasingly complex protocols.

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