Trends in the medical research space: Reflections from SCOPE 2023
The Summit for Clinical Ops Executives (known as SCOPE), is one of the year’s largest conferences focused on clinical research — and one the Antidote team was thrilled to attend in 2023.
Each year, sponsors, vendors, and other industry professionals gather to share news and insights related to the clinical trial space. SCOPE 2023 was no exception, providing our team with a front-row seat to the latest trends in the space. Below, we’re sharing some of the reflections we had from this year’s summit — read on to learn more!
Hot topics at SCOPE 2023
Diversity, equity, and inclusion in medical research
Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) has been a significant topic in the medical research industry for the past several years, and this theme was highlighted in several ways at SCOPE. The opening interactive panel, Lighting a “beacon of hope” to address racial inequity in clinical trials, health, and education, discussed the impact of Novartis’ Beacon of Hope research equity program and featured panelists from a variety of organizations working to make a difference in this space. The Antidote team also participated in many conversations with industry leaders, many of whom were interested in tactics for increasing diversity and representation in patient recruitment.
Keynote highlight: Would I want my mother to be part of a clinical trial?
A keynote on the summit’s second day had an eye-catching title: Would I want my mother to be part of a clinical trial? Presented by Virginia Nido, the Global Head of Industry Collaborations at Genentech, this keynote examined how the quality of clinical trials has improved in the past 20 years — and how everyone in the clinical research space can continue to make a personalized patient experience a top priority. The question, “Would I want my mother to participate in this study?” provides an ideal litmus test when designing a patient-centric trial.
The importance of caregivers
For many condition areas, the caregiver is equally as important as the patient when it comes to clinical trial participation. Alzheimer’s and pediatric conditions are often cited as examples of this, but there are many other situations where the caregiver journey should not be relegated to an afterthought. Many of the conversations Antidote employees took part in focused on making the clinical trial participation experience better for care partners by focusing on the caregiver journey just as much as the patient journey.
Therapeutic area focus: Rare disease and oncology
Research for rare diseases and oncology is a topic that the Antidote team had many conversations about. From breakthroughs in cancer care to the highly specialized recruiting required to reach individuals with rare diseases, we predict that developments in this space will be hot topics in research industry news throughout the coming year.
Improving vendor management practices
Several of the SCOPE sessions were dedicated to the vendor selection and management process. These mainly focused on how to find the best vendors and what processes are the most effective for managing them, both at a program level and siloed within divisions.
Did you know that Antidote can help with vendor management, clinical trial recruitment, and more? Don’t wait until SCOPE 2024 to hear about it — connect with us today using the button below.
