ACT Brief Episode 3: Breaking Down Data Silos to Accelerate Clinical Trials

This is the Applied Clinical Trials Brief—your fast track to the latest insights in clinical research operations. In under three minutes, we’ll recap top stories, highlight expert interviews, and keep you current on what’s moving the industry. Let’s get into it.

On this episode, we’re sharing highlights from a recent conversation with Luke Wilson, senior director for biotech and pharma services at Thermo Fisher Scientific, on how data visibility, integrated systems, and remote monitoring are transforming clinical trial operations.

Wilson began by underscoring why data visibility is now a critical driver for biotechs. With aggressive timelines and tight budgets, sponsors need actionable data from across the supply chain to make informed, real-time decisions that protect patients and keep trials on track.

He also highlighted the role of remote monitoring in accelerating decision-making. By maintaining a live connection to sites, sponsors can track patient safety more closely, improve trial outcomes, and reduce burdens on site staff—especially when paired with advanced devices and digital platforms.

Integrated systems, Wilson explained, are key to staying inspection-ready in an era of evolving regulatory expectations. Breaking down data silos ensures consistent capture and management, streamlining sponsor access and smoothing the path through FDA inspections.

When it comes to barriers to real-time oversight, Wilson pointed to data silos as the most persistent challenge. Overcoming them requires better system integration, along with built-in analytics and dashboards to deliver live insights that stakeholders can act on immediately.

Finally, for decentralized trials, Wilson stressed best practices such as unified data management platforms, clear SOPs, and strong governance and escalation pathways to maintain operational alignment and regulatory compliance throughout the trial lifecycle.

For more on this and other developments in clinical research, visit us at appliedclinicaltrialsonline.com. Thanks for listening to the Applied Clinical Trials Brief.