The clinical research industry faces a number of hurdles right now, including workforce struggles, new technologies, growing protocol complexity and enrollment challenges. But things are also on the upswing for small- and mid-sized CROS, says Cheryle Evans, senior vice president of global clinical and biometric operations for Advanced Clinical, a full-service CRO.

Evans shared her insights with CenterWatch Weekly ahead of her appearance this May in an Executive Fireside Chat with WCG CEO Sam Srivastava and thought leaders from other organizations at the WCG MAGI Clinical Research Conference – 2023 East in Philadelphia.

CenterWatch Weekly: From where you stand in the CRO space, what do you think are the biggest changes taking place right now?

Answer: There is so much positive change happening for all sizes of CROs, but particularly for small and mid-size organizations, where clients — both small and large — are seeking niche and boutique CROs that have demonstrated the ability to be agile and responsive to the new demands of conducting clinical studies post-COVID, including the pre-award process to portfolio and preferred provider alignments and models. We are working at a high intensity in all aspects of our services — from regulatory affairs to operations to biometrics — and leveraging our people and technology to deliver high quality results.

Further, as championed by both regulators and industry, we continue to collaborate on many initiatives and technological innovations aimed at improving the diversity of trial participants. While this has gained momentum in the industry, there’s still more to be done for making all studies accessible to a broader and more diverse mix of patients from different ethnic, racial and demographic backgrounds.

CenterWatch Weekly: What are the biggest challenges that you are seeing?

Answer: From my perspective, it is navigating the “hybrid clinical trial” where we are implementing decentralized trial (DCT) methodologies with traditional study infrastructure and supporting the sites in these scenarios. In addition, the recent collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) may be foreshadowing for DCT companies more likely tied to SVB and could negatively impact many smaller companies who rely on funding to run innovative decentralized/hybrid trials and solutions.

Additional challenges include finding and retaining high-quality talent and providing them a work environment that is holistic, meaning work that is meaningful but not overwhelming.

CenterWatch Weekly: What do you think it will take for smaller and mid-sized CROs to overcome the challenges you’ve named?

Answer: It is important for these organizations to have a seat at the table so that we can all understand that smaller and mid-size CROs are a viable choice for the kind of work and product that we want to produce and be a part of.

CenterWatch Weekly: What does the future look like for smaller and mid-sized CROs?

Answer: Sunglasses on! The future is bright! That is not to say it is easy, but the work is there and even in this tentative financial market, the global demand for clinical research continues to rise year over year. In short, the industry is at a crossroads for fundamentally changing the way we conduct studies. Small and mid-size CROs are in the game and continue to prove nimble enough to make it happen.

WCG CEO Sam Srivastava, Evans and leaders from other small research companies will be in conversation May 24 at the MAGI 2023 East session, “Executive Fireside Chat – A Perspective from Small Organizations” where they will share their insights and experiences on important changes occurring within industry. Register here: https://bit.ly/3YSwvS9.