Breaking Down Data Silos to Enable Real-Time Trial Oversight

In a recent video interview with Applied Clinical Trials, Luke Wilson, senior director, biotech, pharma services, Thermo Fisher Scientific, discussed the role of data visibility in clinical trials, emphasizing the need for actionable data to meet aggressive timelines and budgets. Remote monitoring is crucial for quick decision-making and patient safety, reducing site burdens and leveraging advanced technology. Integrated systems help study sponsors meet evolving regulatory expectations by removing data silos and streamlining inspection processes. Barriers to real-time trial oversight include data silos and the need for integrated systems. Best practices for decentralized trials include unified data management, clear SOPs, and governance pathways to ensure operational alignment and regulatory compliance.

ACT: What are the most common barriers to achieving real-time trial oversight? How can clinops leaders overcome them?

Wilson: Again, the one that keeps cropping up is data silos. Silos create complexity in a highly complex environment that we're in at the moment. Also, this is something that we encourage our biotech customers to really think about is how do we integrate into their systems to enable the successful outcome of their trials? I'm also thinking about how do we prioritize tools and built-in analytics and dashboards, again, so we're giving people live information that they can leverage.