Trials with Maya Z

In this episode, Maya meets Gretchen Knoll. She has over 20 years of experience in pharmaceutical clinical development, now she focuses on enhancing care for severely ill patients and reducing healthcare costs through strategic collaborations. Maya and Gretchen Knoll discuss the challenges and potential transformations in clinical research. They delve into the need for a shift from organ-based cancer treatment to tumor classification, the importance of patient empowerment and education, and the potential of AI and predictive analytics in advancing drug discovery and personalized medicine. (00:54) Getting to know Gret Knoll (02:49) Why do we need to shift from organ to receptor-based classification (07:29) The challenges with using molecular testing at scale (15:09) What are the challenges and opportunities in clinical trials (21:20) What is the new role of psychedelics in clinical research (30:17) The power of predictive analytics and AI in medicine (32:40) How to empower patients for better trial outcomes Mentioned in this episode: Fabrice André:Forget lung, breast or prostate cancer: why tumour naming needs to changeFindMeCure: Gustave Roussy Institute: AlphaFold: PARP Inhibitors:Maya Zlatanova, CEO of TrialHub Gretchen Knoll, Président and CEO of Wyvern Quill Consulting Follow the show on LinkedIn to connect with guests and learn first about new episodes.

In this episode of 'Trials with Maya Z', host Maya Z interviews Sam Whitaker from Mural Health, discussing the pressing issue of patient reimbursement in clinical trials. Sam Whitaker is a Founder and CEO of Mural Health, a tech company on a mission to make it easy to participate in clinical research. Mural Health was founded in 2022 as Sam’s effort to evolve the product he invented, the ClinCard, when he founded Greenphire in 2008. Maya and Sam explore how one-third of Americans are excluded from participating in clinical trials due to financial constraints and eligibility for welfare programs. The dialogue highlights the need for the clinical research industry to address financial barriers. Here are the topics Maya and Sam deep dive into: 01:03 Introducing Sam Whitaker: The Man Behind a Great Mission 03:01 The Reimbursement Dilemma: How It Affects Patient Diversity in Clinical Trials 20:30 Exploring Solutions: Legislative Efforts and Centralized Reimbursement Models 31:15 Empowering Change: How You Can Support and The Ideal World for Clinical Trials Sign the letter to Congress and support Sam’s mission. Tune in today for a thrilling journey into the world of clinical trials – expand your knowledge! Maya Zlatanova, CEO of Trialhub Sam Whitaker, CEO of Mural Health See More: TrialHub Mural Health

In this episode, Maya meets the author of two well-received books. Ross Jackson consults with and advises organizations within the clinical trials industry. He helps them improve patient recruitment and retention. Maya and Ross discuss the following topics: (0:51) What led Ross to write the books on patient recruitment (6:39) Patient recruitment in 1999 vs now (10:06) Doing country localization right (15:26) How to craft a solid patient recruitment strategy (14:58) Why DCT is the new norm now (24:11) Why aren’t satellite sites popular enough (28:02) Do we do clinical assessments right Tune in today for an odyssey into the world of clinical trials – expand your knowledge! Maya Zlatanova, CEO of Trialhub Ross Jackson, The Man Who Wrote the Book(s) on Patient Recruitment See More: TrialHub Patient Recruitment for Clinical Trials Using Facebook Ads The Patient Recruitment Conundrum

In this episode, Maya meets Colin Sholes. Colin is the founder of Cure Clinical Inc., a US-based software company building a comprehensive database for clinical research performance analysis. Maya and discuss the following topics: (4:29) Why is a direct-to-consumer business similar to patient recruitment (8:06) How to balance the pitch to patients with the site demands (11:23) How to achieve consistency in patient recruitment ads (14:40) Are sponsors and CROs reacting to clinical sites direct feedback (16:58) How does Cure Clinical make trials more scalable (20:50) Do sites need better statistics or better tools (24:00) The #1 solution to make trials more patient-friendly Tune in today for a thrilling journey into the world of clinical trials – expand your knowledge! Maya Zlatanova, CEO of Trialhub Colin Sholes, Founder of Cure Clinical See More: TrialHub Cure Clinical

In this episode, Maya meets David Rosenbaum to talk about immigrants in clinical trials. David helps scatter the immigrant bias with clinical trials in Turkey and other Balkan countries. However, it’s an ongoing administrative effort. David is the Founder of Rosenbaum Group. It is a CRO operating since 2019 in the south-eastern Balkans and Turkey. The organization focuses on clinical trials in CNS, infectious diseases, and gastroenterology. It also supports BIOTECH research and medical devices with a patient-centric approach. Maya and David discuss the following topics: (2:30) Immigrant story from a clinical trial in Turkey (7:12) What makes immigrants vulnerable patients (9:50) The situation with immigrants and trials in the Balkans (12:48) Ways to improve communication with authorities (16:06) Tech portals vs direct communication with regulatory bodies (19:40) What can ethics committees improve further (23:02) The #1 thing to make trial patient-friendly Tune in today for a thrilling journey into clinical trials – expand your knowledge! Maya Zlatanova, CEO of Trialhub David Rosenbaum, Clinical Trial Manager @ Rosenbaum Group Ltd. See More: TrialHub Rosenbaum Group Ltd.

In this episode, Maya meets Dr. Leeza Osipenko. She is the founder and the CEO of a non-profit organization Consilium Scientific. It is dedicated to improving the integrity of clinical research. Maya and Leeza discuss the following topics: (2:18) The role of NICE in developing clinical standards (6:23) Why did Leeza start Consilium Scientific (9:35) How to avoid suboptimal clinical trials (19:02) What are the mechanisms that improve clinical research integrity (25:30) The ultimate goal of Consilium Scientific (32:47) What is the biggest challenge in clinical trials at the moment Tune in today for a thrilling journey into the world of clinical research – expand your knowledge! Maya Zlatanova, CEO of Trialhub Leeza Osipenko, CEO of Consilium Scientific See More: TrialHub Consilium Scientific

In this episode, Maya meets Andreas, who is a part of the new generation of CRO leaders. He has new ideas and concepts of how to bring better clinical research services to the market and make trials more accessible. Maya and Andreas discuss the following topics: (2:55) Why aren’t more students pursuing careers in clinical trials? (6:35) What does the Association of International CROs do? (10:49) How to balance global trial coverage with local support? (8:32) Should big companies manage local teams as mini-companies? (18:38) How to face clinical trial challenges as an international company? (24:43) What’s the future of clinical research organizations? Tune in today to catch the latest insights and emerging trends in the world of clinical trials. Maya Zlatanova, CEO of TrialHub Andreas Beust, CEO of GCP-Service International and President of AICROS See More: TrialHub GCP-Service International AICROS

In this episode, Maya meets Till, the founder of TranspariMED. Till is a political scientist by background, now focused on raising awareness about clinical trial transparency. Maya and Till discuss the following topics: (1:19) How to achieve transparency in clinical trials (3:37) Should all trials be fully transparent (5:26) The current state of clinical trial transparency (8:32) Who should enforce reporting clinical trial results (14:58) Who benefits from opacity in clinical trial results (20:35) How to foster better transparency in trials (29:54) What makes or breaks clinical trials Tune in today for a thrilling journey into the world of clinical trials – expand your knowledge! Maya Zlatanova, CEO of Trialhub Till Bruckner, Founder of TranspariMED See More: TrialHub TranspariMED

In this episode, Maya meets Steve. Steve is the VP of partnerships for 1nHealth. He brings a wide-ranging scope of experience to his role, having worked previously in digital marketing, e-commerce, and education. He is primarily responsible for assessing digital recruitment feasibility and developing external partnerships. Maya and Steve discuss the following topics: (2:00) The common things between patient recruitment and e-commerce (4:48) The 3 e-commerce tactics that can be applied to patient recruitment (11:57) Are iterations of patient recruitment ads expensive (13:53) The #1 platform for patient recruitment (19:59) Real-life stories from patient recruitment campaigns (27:48) What makes or breaks clinical trials Tune in today and start expanding your knowledge! Maya Zlatanova, CEO of Trialhub Steve Wimmer, VP of Partnerships for 1nHealth See More: TrialHub 1nHealth

In this episode, Maya and Raymond discuss the following topics: (2:09) What’s happening right now with clinical sites (5:23) Should sites choose their own tech stack (8:24) How to build better ePRO workflows (13:06) The 1 way to offer global solutions for sites (16:09) What is the future of sites (23:09) How can clinical trials get more collaborative Tune in today and start expanding your knowledge! Maya Zlatanova, CEO of Trialhub Raymond Nomizu, Co-Founder of CRIO See More: TrialHub CRIO

In this episode, Maya sits with Carole Scrafton, Director and Co-Founder of a Patient Advocacy Organisation. They deep dive into the following topics: (4:00) How has access to clinical trials altered? (8:36) Do companies approach patients for clinical trials? (11:47) How to assess proposals from small companies? (16:13) Who should be more proactive: doctors or patients? (19:55) Carole’s first experience with a clinical trial (24:35) How to accelerate change in clinical trials? Tune in today and start expanding your knowledge! Maya Zlatanova, CEO of Trialhub Carole Scrafton, Director & Co-Founder of Flutters and Strutters See More: TrialHub Flutters and Strutters

In this episode, Maya and Kimberly, Founder and CEO of ESPERO, discuss the following topics: (2:20) What does a Head of Digital Clinical Trials do? (4:36) How can we speed up clinical trials? (7:54) Top inefficient trial processes requiring a shift (12:00) The main challenge in clinical trials (15:38) Bridging the gap between companies and patients (20:00) How to improve protocol design (23:51) Why the industry is still not ready for AI and ML Tune in today and start expanding your knowledge! Maya Zlatanova, CEO of Trialhub Kimberly Tableman, CEO of ESPERO See More: TrialHub ESPERO

In this episode, Maya and Duncan, president of DTS Language Services, shed light on translations involved in clinical trials. They discuss the following topics: (2:09) The mission and purpose behind informed consent (4:35) How to apply D&I to the informed consent (6:45) What problems arise in translating consent forms (10:37) AI and translations in clinical trials (12:47) Best practices in clinical research and translations (15:54) Duncan’s experience from working with sponsors (21:21) What makes or breaks a clinical trial Tune in today and start expanding your knowledge! Maya Zlatanova, CEO of Trialhub Duncan Shaw, President at DTS Language Services See More: TrialHub DTS Language Services

In this episode, Maya and Aaron Horowitz, CEO & Founder of Empath Labs, dive deeper into the role of empathy in clinical trials. They discuss the following topics: (2:43) Why did Aaron create Emapth Labs? (4:46) How does the teddy bear from Empath Labs work? (8:21) How does Aaron get inspired to create these products? (11:09) How can you engage pediatric patients and understand their experience? (14:46) How do companies feel toward the product? (16:43) At what stage do CROs need the Empath Labs products? (20:11) What is coming up next at Empath Labs? Tune in today and start expanding your knowledge! Maya Zlatanova, CEO of Trialhub Aaron Horowitz, Founder & CEO at Empath Labs See More: TrialHub Empath Labs

In this episode, Maya and Jennifer discuss the benefits of AI in clinical research and how it can assist medical writers in their day-to-day tasks. They also dive deeper into the cons of AI and the importance of the human-in-the-loop approach. They thoroughly discuss the following topics: (4:01) What does Narrativa do? (6:21) How do people feel about AI entering clinical research? (9:23) Are people embracing the technology or is there technology fatigue? (13:25) What are the main challenges for AI? (19:32) Are people’s old habits a barrier to AI entering the life science industry? (21:58) Are companies ready to start working with AI? (25:56) Is AI affordable for small to medium-sized companies? Tune in today and start expanding your knowledge! Maya Zlatanova, CEO of Trialhub Jennifer Bittinger, President at Narrativa See More: TrialHub Narrativa NEJM AI

In this episode Maya and Michelle Shogren, CEO of Innovate in What You Do? LLC, are discussing the importance of innovation in clinical research. Michelle has been on both sides of clinical trials - as a patient and as part of the operations teams. She has almost 20 years of experience in different roles - caregiver, research coordinator, site and marketing director, CRA, and multiple roles in Pharma. Michelle is now running her own company with the same goal of helping people navigate and improve clinical trials. They dive deep into the following topics: (2:51) Top 3 Difficulties in Clinical Trials (5:23) How do you find innovative and sustainable solutions? (7:11) How do you integrate new solutions? (10:01) Incubation period when implementing a new change (14:09) How do you innovate while running a trial? (16:14) Common mistakes when integrating new solutions (18:10) How do you approach innovation in a small company? (22:19) How do you pitch your solutions in the best way? Tune in today and start expanding your knowledge! Maya Zlatanova, CEO of Trialhub Michelle Shogren, CEO of Innovate in What You Do! LLC See More: TrialHub Innovate in What You Do? LLC

In this episode, Maya is discussing the pros and cons of the Clinical Trials Information System (CTIS) with the Managing Director of FGK Clinical Research GmbH, Martin Krauss. By background, he is a trained statistician with more than 25 years of experience in the clinical research industry. They dive deep into the following topics: (1:01) Who is Martin Krauss? (3:34) Has the CTIS improved transparency and centralization in clinical trials? (5:40) What are the strengths of the CTIS? (7:19) What are the weaknesses of the CTIS? (11:12) How does the CTIS help you as a CRO? (14:17) What is the impact of the CTIS on the sponsors? (15:38) Do you receive technical support from the CTIS? (19:19) The UK is outside the CTIS. Is that a plus or a minus for them? (21:18) Development of clinical trials in Europe vs USA (24:30) Martin’s recommendations for working with the CTIS Tune in today and start expanding your knowledge! Maya Zlatanova, CEO of Trialhub Martin Krauss, Managing Director of FGK Clinical Research GmbH See More: TrialHub FGK Clinical Research GmbH

In episode 7 Maya is talking to the founder and CEO of Bezyl Inc, Esther Howard. She has more than 20 years of experience in the health economics of developing countries and oncology clinical research operations. Her personal and professional experience inspired her to create her own company where she can focus on the mental health journey of every clinical trial patient. Maya and Esther deep dive into the following topics: (2:23) What is Bezyl Inc.? (4:16) What is the story of Bezyl Inc.? (10:36) Given your background, what would you change in clinical trials? (13:21) What practical advice would you give to address the patient’s and the site’s needs? (17:13) How can we make sure we consider the patient’s input in the best way possible? (19:46) What is the site’s role in patient engagement? (22:00) What is Esther’s project related to diversity in clinical trials? (27:48) The importance of focusing on the patient’s life and experience Tune in today and start expanding your knowledge! Maya Zlatanova, CEO of Trialhub Esther Howard, SEO of Bezyl Inc. See More: TrialHub Bezyl Inc.

In this episode, Maya’s guest is Alexander O’Leary, Director of the PBC Group which hosts the Clinical Outsourcing Group (COG) event series with events in the UK, Europe, and the USA. He has close to 14 years of experience in organizing and running clinical research events. Maya and Alex discuss clinical research events both from the perspective of organizers and attendees. They deep dive into the biggest challenges and mistakes when planning and executing industry events Here are the key topics that they discuss: (2:17) How do you find out what the most important topics for events are? (3:57) Do events only cover topics on a superficial level? (5:51) What makes or breaks a clinical trial (event)? (8:54) Is it possible to create a synergy among the three stakeholders at events? (13:09) How do you bridge the communication gap between patients and the industry? (14:15) Why do people choose the attend a certain clinical research event? (17:27) How do I select the right clinical trial event for my needs? (19:34) Can events accelerate change in the clinical research industry? Tune in today and start expanding your knowledge! Maya Zlatanova, CEO of Trialhub Alexander O’Leary, Director of PBC Group See More: TrialHub PBC Group

In this episode, Maya and Toni Perez discuss the challenges that small biotech companies face on a daily basis. Toni Perez has more than 36 years of experience in the clinical research industry. He has worked with both big and small pharmaceutical companies. Since 2007 he has been working as a consultant to smaller biotech companies with a headcount of 2 to 10. Maya and Toni dive deep into topics of leadership, trust, and teamwork when it comes to doing clinical research. Having the right expertise in your team is crucial for the successful completion of clinical trials. Here are the key topics that they discuss: (3:36) What are the top challenges that small biotech companies face? (5:03) What resources do you need when planning clinical trials as a small biotech? (7:49) How do you plan a clinical trial without much experience in the industry? (10:28) What type of professionals do you need in your team? (12:18) Pros and cons of hiring part-time vs full-time professionals (15:24) When should you work with a big CRO vs a small CRO? (20:40) What is Toni’s advice to CEOs without a clinical research background? Tune in today and start expanding your knowledge! Maya Zlatanova, CEO of Trialhub Toni Perez, Founder of Toni Perez Pharma Consulting See More: TrialHub