In today's ACT Brief, we examine the FDA's multi-domain transparency priorities, why radiopharmaceutical trials need redesigned infrastructure, and how AI can make enrollment more predictable.
News|Podcasts|October 8, 2026
ACT Brief: AI and Protocol Design, Site Training Readiness, and GLP-1 Unmet Needs
Author(s)Andy Studna, Senior Editor
In today's ACT Brief, we examine how AI surfaces design flaws before enrollment, why site training readiness depends on learning science, and the priorities defining next-generation weight-loss therapies.
This is the Applied Clinical Trials Brief—your fast track to the latest insights shaping clinical operations and drug development.
- In a
new Q&A , Claire Riches, VP of clinical solutions at Citeline, discusses how AI is transforming endpoint selection and protocol pressure-testing before enrollment begins. She explains what data inputs matter most for realistic enrollment planning and argues that AI tools are more accessible than most sponsors assume, making the competitive risk of waiting higher than the operational risk of starting. - In his
October column , Brian McGowan examined why site training effectiveness depends on readiness at first-patient-in rather than training completion metrics or content volume. Site training's real test happens weeks later when the first participant arrives, requiring learning-science design principles around performance focus, cognitive load reduction, progressive sequencing, and spaced retrieval practice. - In a
new Q&A from Pharmaceutical Executive , Dr. Bo Liang, chief medical officer at CORXEL, identified four unmet needs defining next-generation obesity therapies: reducing gastrointestinal side effects, improving convenience and adherence, preserving lean muscle mass, and preventing weight regain after treatment stops. He also described how GLP-1 therapies represent a broader chronic disease platform with demonstrated benefits across cardiovascular, renal, and metabolic outcomes, not merely weight-loss medications.
That's all for today's ACT Brief. Join us tomorrow for more updates shaping clinical operations and drug development. Thanks for listening.
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