
Commentary|Articles|October 7, 2026
Using AI to Design Better Trials Before the First Patient Enrolls: Q&A with Claire Riches, Citeline
Author(s)Claire Riches, Andy Studna, Senior Editor
In this Q&A, Claire Riches, VP of clinical solutions at Citeline, discusses how AI is transforming endpoint selection and protocol pressure-testing, what data inputs matter most for realistic enrollment planning, and why the tools are more accessible than most sponsors assume.
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Endpoint selection, inclusion-exclusion criteria, and enrollment assumptions have long been shaped by what a sponsor's internal team has seen before—a bounded view that leaves real risk invisible until a trial is already running. Artificial intelligence (AI) is changing that calculus, and for clinical operations professionals still weighing when and how to engage with these tools, the window for waiting is closing.
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