ACT Brief: Behavioral Science and Recruitment Design, Community Engagement in Trials, and Big Pharma's Rare Disease Interest

This is the Applied Clinical Trials Brief—your fast track to the latest insights shaping clinical operations and drug development.

• In part one of a new three-part series, Olga Elizarova, DDS, MPH, MBA, senior consultant behavioral science at S3 Connected Health, discussed how recruitment challenges originate in protocol design and site startup decisions made before enrollment begins. By applying behavioral science and service design to address overly restrictive criteria, site capacity constraints, and clinician-centered workflows, teams can diagnose barriers early when they're still fixable rather than waiting for recruitment to stall.
• In a new video interview, Del Smith, PhD, CEO and co-founder of Acclinate, examined structural and relational barriers keeping underrepresented communities out of clinical trials. The discussion contrasted authentic, sustained community engagement with traditional recruitment outreach, addressing why conventional approaches often fail to reach diverse populations.
• In a continuing interview series from Pharmaceutical Executive, Laksheeta Johari, analyst for Lifescience Dynamics, noted that Big Pharma is increasingly entering the rare disease space through acquisitions of smaller biotechs. These larger companies are seeking proof-of-concept for cell and gene therapies targeting niche indications with significant unmet need, expanding beyond the traditionally smaller companies focused on single rare disease assets.

That's all for today's ACT Brief. Join us tomorrow for more updates shaping clinical operations and drug development. Thanks for listening.