eSource by the numbers
- 20% of study costs go to data duplication and verification.
- Manual entry costs up to $50K per patient; eSource cuts burden by 50%.
- AI-driven eSource reduces errors by 99% and standardizes data.
- Interoperability and compliance remain key adoption barriers.
- Phase I trials to be fully eSource-enabled within two years.
Advarra and IgniteData have announced a new partnership, enabling secure clinical data transfer between research sites’ instances of Advarra's eSource and electronic data capture (EDC) solutions, electronic health record (EHR) systems, and sponsor EDC systems.1
Enabling data collection for commercial sites
For commercial sites without an EHR system, this new partnership will enable data collection in Advarra's eSource platform to be transmitted through IgniteData's Archer connector into the sponsor's preferred EDC system.
In a company press release, Scott Uebele, chief operating officer at Advarra, said: "Sites have long struggled with fragmented, disconnected solutions that make data exchange cumbersome and error-prone. With 90 of the top 125 academic medical centers, 90% of NCI-Designated Cancer Centers, and over 300 enterprise research sites leveraging Advarra's site technology—including OnCore CTMS, Clinical Conductor CTMS, eReg, eSource, and EDC—we're dedicated to bringing innovations to market that simplify processes.”
Efficient data transfer for academic and cancer research centers
Meanwhile, for academic medical centers and cancer centers, the integration will allow for the transfer of data between the center’s EHR system through IgniteData's Archer platform into Advarra's EDC.
In the release, Zach Taft, CEO of IgniteData, added: "Unlike other vendor connectors that require organizations to use a single, proprietary platform to unlock efficiencies, our partnership with Advarra will give research sites the flexibility to use the tools they choose.”
Data collection challenges in oncology trials
Efficient data collection has long been a challenge for the clinical research industry, especially in oncology trials. A recent article published in Applied Clinical Trials on scaling eSource-enabled clinical trials highlighted opportunities to address this challenge from a hospital perspective. The authors found:
- Around 20% of study costs are spent on data duplication and verification, with over half of trial data duplicated between hospital EHRs and research systems.
- Manual data entry consumes thousands of hours per trial, costing up to $50,000 per patient, while eSource automation can cut site burden by 50% and save $15,000 per patient.
- Artificial intelligence (AI)-powered eSource systems automate EHR-to-EDC transfers, reduce transcription errors by up to 99%, and standardize unstructured data like imaging and clinical notes.
- Interoperability, data mapping, and regulatory compliance remain key barriers, requiring collaboration among hospitals, sponsors, and technology vendors.
- Within two years, most Phase I oncology trials are expected to be fully eSource-enabled, reducing database lock times by six months and establishing a scalable, digital trial model.
According to Advarra, the integration with IgniteData is currently being developed and early collaboration with customers is already underway.
IgniteData partners with Microsoft to leverage AI
This new partnership comes on the heels of IgniteData revealing it had been selected for the Microsoft for Startups Pegasus Program. The collaboration, announced in September, will allow IgniteData to apply an agentic approach to generative AI, enabling unstructured EHR data to be organized and presented to research coordinators for review.2
The Pegasus Program is an invite-only initiative that assists B2B startups rapidly scale by granting access to Microsoft’s technology and mentorship ecosystem. In this collaboration, the program will be accelerating adoption of Archer.
In a statement from the time, Steve Tolle, chief product and technology officer of IgniteData, said: “We are honored to be part of the Microsoft for Startups Pegasus Program. […] IgniteData is already partnering with the world’s largest technology companies and the most prestigious healthcare organizations to deliver groundbreaking results. Together, we’re leveraging the power of agentic AI and intelligent automation to transform clinical trials—accelerating speed, eliminating inefficiencies, and setting a new global standard for data accuracy and compliance.”
References
1. Advarra and IgniteData Announce Partnership to Simplify Clinical Trial Data Transfer for Research Sites. News release. Advarra. Novemver 12, 2025. Accessed Novemver 13, 2025. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/advarra-and-ignitedata-announce-partnership-to-simplify-clinical-trial-data-transfer-for-research-sites-302612178.html
2. IgniteData Selected for Microsoft for Startups Pegasus Program: Agentic AI Powers Archer Solution to Transform Clinical Trial Data Transfer. News release. IgniteData. September 24, 2025. Accessed November 13, 2025. https://ignitedata.com/ignitedata-selected-for-microsoft-for-startups-pegasus-program-agentic-ai-powers-archer-solution-to-transform-clinical-trial-data-transfer/