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Clinical Research: Phase 1 - Phase 4

Fit-For-Purpose: A Strategic Approach to Biomarker Method Validation for Rare Disease

Ensuring the integrity of your surrogate endpoints Rare disease studies present unique obstacles to drug developers, including small patient populations, slow disease progression, lack of prior clinical research, and uncertainty around validating biomarker measurements intended for use as surrogate endpoints. Our white paper describes a fit-for-purpose approach to validating bioanalytical methods in orphan drug trials....

Biomarker Method Validation in Rare Disease Drug Development

While drug discovery has seen major advances over the last few years — especially in the domain of rare disease research — the number of new drug approvals has not kept pace with increasing development costs. However, the innovative use of biomarkers has the potential to change that trend. Biomarkers in Rare Disease Research Biomarkers are objectively measurable characteristics...

The Why, What, and How of the Current State of CNS Drug Development

Central nervous system (CNS) disorders are a diverse group of conditions that include psychiatric, neurological and substance abuse disorders. Unfortunately for patients, treatment options for CNS disorders are often limited (or non-existent). To make matters worse, comparatively few CNS drugs are in the development pipeline. What aspects of CNS disorders contribute to lagging drug development? Read on to...

Want to Study Rare Disease? Get Ready for These Roadblocks

A rare disease, also referred to as an orphan disease, by definition affects a small percentage of the population. Most are genetic and appear early in life, with one in three children with a rare disease dying before their fifth birthday. While the definition of “rare” varies from country to country, the US defines a rare disease as...

Innovations in Rare Oncology Trial Design

A rare cancer is often defined as one with an incidence of less than 15 per 100,000. The patient populations of these conditions are so small that traditional clinical trial design strategies can be unfeasible. But, with such a low incidence, just why is rare oncology research so important? Why Rare Oncology Needs Innovation Keep in mind...

4 Ways a Target Product Profile Enhances the Medical Device Development Process

A target product profile (TPP) is a strategic process tool that streamlines medical device development through cross-functional strategic alignment. It’s a living document that defines the value proposition and key differentiators of an intended commercial product while assisting in product development strategy. A TPP may take a lot of time and resources to craft, but it’s a strategy that promises a major...

Mobile clinical research. There’s an app for that.

Visit the iTunes App Store or Google Play and you will find the smartphone app PoopMD+: A New Parent’s Guide to Baby Poop and Pediatric Liver Disease Study from Johns Hopkins. PoopMD+ is an imaging and clinical survey-based app developed to help screen for a rare but life-threatening liver disorder in babies and collect feedback...

The 5 Components of an Effective Target Product Profile

A target product profile is a document that presents a polished explanation and aggregation of all relevant information needed in validating product development. This common template can be used for all products across a company portfolio to guide and align regulatory, preclinical, clinical, marketing, and health economic outcomes and reimbursement strategies. The concept of the TPP was originally developed...

Rare Disease Studies: How to Run Successful Programs

Speakers: Patricia Nowowieski, Head of Global Clinical Operations for Alexion Pharmaceuticals. Patricia’s work in global clinical trials involves specialized populations and complex logistical and regulatory challenges. Angi Robinson, Executive Director and Scientific Account Leader for Premier Research. Angi’s extensive experience includes oversight of global studies in pediatrics and rare diseases. Mallory Bissett, Associate Director of...

The 7 Most Important Steps for Success in Neurodegenerative Disease Trial Design

When it comes to clinical trials for neurodegenerative disease (NDD), it’s easy to get overwhelmed by complexity. Not only are the mechanisms that underlie NDDs like multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer’s still largely a mystery, their inherent variability is hard to account for. The best way to combat the problem? Break trial design down into more manageable pieces....