Attending SCOPE - important to understand the latest trends in clinical research

24-Jan-2024 - Last updated on 24-Jan-2024 at 11:47 GMT

Curavit prides itself as the first ‘all-virtual CRO’ that designs and executes decentralized clinical trials – also known as virtual trials.

The company uses technologies in digital health, cloud computing, and data science to recruit, engage, and monitor diverse patient populations from wherever they live, work, or study taking away the need for travel.

Dave Hanaman serves as president and chief commercial officer for Curavit - a company he co-founded he is an operating partner for a sector-focused private equity firm and is an advisor to several start-up companies in technology and life sciences.

Why do you think it is important to attend SCOPE?

Attending SCOPE is important to understand the latest trends in clinical research and the technologies that support clinical trials. Further, face-to-face networking is invaluable.

What do you hope to achieve this year while you are there?

Curavit is hoping to create and strengthen meaningful relationships among sponsor partners, as well as uncover new opportunities to support breakthrough trials with our virtual site and trial management services. We are specifically looking to speak with large pharma company’s 'digital' and 'innovation' groups to better understand their goals for innovative health technologies, both as standalone products as well as companion applications.

Do you have an inkling what the buzz theme will be this year?

We think the buzz will be about the return to deal flow in life sciences. The past two years have been difficult for venture-stage life sciences and digital health companies – access to and the cost of capital has been insurmountable for some. While 2024 may still be challenging, we see green shoots in the industry.

We will be closely watching the activity of large pharmaceutical business development players. Similarly, the digital and innovation offices are becoming much more active, especially in digital therapeutics. Beyond that, we expect to hear a lot about health economics and outcomes research, leverage of virtual sites, diversity among trial participants, and AI in all its nascent applications.

For those who have never attended SCOPE before, what would you say to entice them?

There is no better place to meet with the operational and thought leaders in the industry. Covid restricted travel, which kept many of those restrictions in place for financial reasons. We hope this year will be a full-throated return to in-person attendance by large pharmaceutical companies.

What part of it are you looking forward to the most?

Connecting with current partners, meeting new potential partners, learning from other industry leaders, and networking with prospects are what we look forward to at SCOPE. While so much of today’s communication is technology-driven, it’s refreshing to connect with other industry leaders face-to-face at events like SCOPE.