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Clinical research blog

Explore our blog for insights into the big questions in precision medicine and clinical research.

Podcast recap: Lessons from the world's largest genomic datasets

In this episode of "The Genetics Podcast," host Patrick Short interviews Daniel McArthur, Director of the Centre for Population Genomics at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research and the Murdoch Children's Research Institute. The discussion focused on the impact of large-scale genetic datasets on patient diagnosis and treating genetic subtypes of disease, and the power of big data and consortiums to enable pioneering discoveries.

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Combining machine learning with genetic and medical data in UC

Sano Genetics and BenevolentAI have successfully completed the first phase of their research collaboration. 

Sano and BenevolentAI have worked closely over the past year to generate a linked genetic and medical record dataset for patients with ulcerative colitis (UC). The project, partly funded by the UK government’s innovation agency grant, uses a study design that doesn’t require patients to travel to specific clinical sites, thus placing them at the heart of the process, enabling ‘real-world’ data to be collected, and creating more interactions between patients and researchers.

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Webinar recap: How can applying a "rare disease mindset" accelerate and de-risk precision medicine trials?

In a this webinar, Patrick Short, CEO and co-founder of Sano Genetics, and Patti Engel, CEO of Engage Health, discussed how applying a “rare disease mindset” can accelerate and de-risk precision medicine research. The discussion focused on a case study of a precision medicine trial in movement disorders, particularly Parkinson's disease, where they successfully identified patients with rare genetic variants of interest.

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Challenges with relying on site databases and patient recruitment companies

Recruiting patients for clinical trials is a crucial component of the drug development process, and a key factor in determining the success or failure of a study. However, finding the right patients is challenging, and many trial sponsors and clinical research organisations (CROs) turn to clinical trial patient recruitment companies and site databases to help identify and enrol suitable candidates. Of course, these resources can be helpful, but for certain types of trials, there are challenges associated with relying on them. In particular, trials looking for patients with particular biomarkers may be too specific to rely on a traditional patient recruitment company or a site database. In this blog, we review these challenges and alternative methods which may address them.

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For DNA Day, 5 DNA testing solutions for clinical research

National DNA Day, observed on April 25th, commemorates the discovery of the double helix structure of DNA. It’s an annual, global celebration – and this year, it marks both the 20th anniversary of the Human Genome Project’s completion and the 70th anniversary of the discovery of the DNA double helix. National DNA Day is a day to reflect on the importance of genetics and DNA research in our lives, including the impact it has had on healthcare. 

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CMO Summit 360: Reflections on understanding patient populations, the role of advocacy, and diversity in medical research

Earlier this month, our team had the pleasure of attending the CMO Summit 360 in Boston. This event brought together top-level medical executives and experts from the biotech industry to discuss the latest trends and innovations in clinical decision making, regulatory strategy, communications, business development, and more. Sano sponsored a table at the event, and was excited to chat with and learn from both attendees and speakers. In this blog, we outline three key themes that emerged throughout the event: understanding the patient, engaging patient advocacy groups (PAGs), and driving diversity in medical research.

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Sano's solutions to drive precision medicine forward

If you’re struggling to enroll your trial, you’re not alone. It’s so difficult that nine out of ten trials require the original timeline to be doubled to meet enrollment goals – and when you add in a genetic component, it becomes even more challenging.

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18 patient engagement solutions to support clinical trial retention

With 40% of patients enrolled in clinical trials dropping out prior to study completion, patient engagement and retention is becoming an increasingly crucial aspect of the clinical research process. The most convenient and effective patient engagement solutions today take advantage of technology to deliver personalised resources and support, whilst also improving patient outcomes and streamlining the clinical trial process. For example, some of the most frequently-used patient engagement technology includes digital health platforms, gamification, AI-powered chatbots and predictive analytics, telehealth, and patient portals.

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Webinar recap: How patient organisations can support innovation and keep their community's health information safe

This webinar, hosted by Patrick Short, CEO of Sano Genetics, and featuring Lindsey Wahlstrom-Edwards, Partnerships Lead at Sano Genetics, focused on the challenges patient organisations face in supporting innovation while also keeping patient health information safe.

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Webinar recap: Meaningful Technology, Genomics England webinar

This webinar was hosted by Paul Wicks and featured Sano CEO Patrick Short, Rakhi Rajani from Genomics England, and Julian Hastings Ward who chairs the participant panel for Genomics England.

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