Applied Clinical Trials-02-01-2026

View the Applied Clinical Trials February 2026 issue in an interactive format.

Explore how AI, decentralized tools, eSource, and IRT are reshaping clinical development operations in Applied Clinical Trials' February issue.

Acknowledging the need to optimize decentralized adoption of innovation in clinical research.

Amid mounting political and legal pressure, corporate DEI efforts, particularly in life sciences, are largely holding steady, with leadership, boards, and shareholders continuing to frame inclusion as a strategic driver of innovation, performance, and representative clinical research.

Analysis of more than 880 clinical trials shows that while statistical data monitoring and key risk indicator signals close on similar timelines, durability—not speed—is the defining differentiator in effective, risk-based quality management.

As Parkinson’s disease cases surge worldwide, growing evidence gaps around women’s biology, care access, and outcomes are driving new data-driven and digital strategies to advance sex-specific research and precision medicine.

As AI-driven search becomes the primary way patients discover research opportunities, the quality and structure of clinical trial registry data will determine whether transparency translates into real, equitable access.

By leveraging the Fresh Start Effect at site initiation and shifting from passive training to demonstrated readiness, sponsors and CROs can turn trial launch into a powerful multiplier for early performance, compliance, and execution quality.

Unclear boundaries between investigator-controlled and sponsor-managed data in IRT systems are creating avoidable compliance risk, particularly around investigational product inventory and quality actions.

Persistent recruitment delays, high dropout rates, and missed timelines continue to slow global clinical trials, while data show that sub-Saharan Africa offers a largely untapped opportunity with established research capacity, large patient pools, and strong enrollment and retention performance.

New research finds that while eSource adoption is advancing through EHR-to-EDC workflows, scaling its impact will depend on integrating unstructured clinical data using AI, shared standards, and collaborative validation models across sites, sponsors, and vendors.

Strong relational governance between technology vendors and sponsor–CRO teams is becoming a critical foundation for eCOA trial success, enabling faster study launches, clearer communication, proactive issue management, and sustained quality across entire trial portfolios.

A new global Tufts CSDD survey of 387 investigative site professionals reveals broad experience with digital and decentralized trial tools, growing site-driven technology investments, and strong support for remote data collection—while highlighting persistent burdens tied to fragmented systems, training demands, and financial strain.