CRO ProSciento, OWL Metabolomics growing patient database

06-Jun-2017 - Last updated on 07-Jun-2017 at 15:19 GMT

ProSciento has a proprietary site database of more than 30,000 active study participants. (Image: iStock/MickeyCZ)

ProSciento and OWL Metabolomics have formed a strategic collaboration to accelerate NAFLD/NASH clinical trial recruitment.

ProSciento – previously the Profil Institute for Clinical Research – is a full scope clinical R&D provider that focuses on diabetes, obesity, and NAFLD/NASH.

OWL Metabolomics is a biotechnology company that develops virtual biopsy assays, including ‘OWLiver’ and ‘OWLiver Care’ assays, which are metabolomics-based in-vitro tests for diagnosing non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

Speaking on the partnership’s formation, Christian Weyer, MD, ProSciento’s president and chief development officer, told Outsourcing-Pharma.com “it became clear that one of the big unmet needs was in finding patients to enroll in [NAFLD/NASH] clinical trials.”

“There was an important opportunity to join forces in enhancing and improving how we can identify subjects that would be available for trials,” he added.

The partnership is a multiyear collaboration, though no other details on length are being released at this time. However, Weyer explained, “Certainly, we see a lot of opportunity here.”

Per the agreement, the companies will co-create a clinical study participant database of prospective patients evaluated for the presence of NAFLD and NASH using OWL’s non-invasive, lipidomics-based diagnostic assays.

Weyer explained the plan is to launch at ProSciento’s early phase clinical research unit before expanding over time into its network of other study sites.

“We already have a subject database of about 30,000 active study participants at our clinical research unit,” he explained. “On top of that, we have a sizeable database of subjects as part of our networks of sites that we can tap into.”

Additionally, OWL is joining ProSciento’s CRI (Clinical Research Innovation) partner network, which includes corporate and academic firms that offer “clinical research methodologies” to support and accelerate metabolic drug and device development, the company explained.

“At ProSciento we have the ability to connect clients with novel technologies,” said Weyer. “We partner with a network of companies and academic collaborators to provide clients with access to those technologies. I think the OWL partnership is a very good example of that network approach.”