Eyes on Research

Key Insights and Takeaways From Four Industry-Leading Events

Written by 20/20 Onsite | Mar 29, 2024 11:51:32 AM

In March, 20/20 Onsite’s Life Sciences team was busy attending networking events, summits, and conferences nationwide. We enjoyed the opportunities to share and connect with other innovative leaders in the life sciences, biotech, and clinical trial industry. 

Here are the highlights: 

  • The Boston Bio Connections Networking Happy Hour connected industry leaders with a shared goal of partnering and advancing the clinical trial space.
  • The American Academy of Dermatology’s (AAD) 2024 Annual Meeting showcased the growing trend of decentralized clinical trials, which could increase diversity in patient participation.
  • The Wet AMD & Diabetic Eye Disease Drug Development Summit discussed the development of drugs with the potential to treat multiple diseases for comprehensive patient care. Plus, the summit examined how to improve diabetic drug delivery for enhanced patient compliance and efficacy.
  • The Patients as Partners conference highlighted how the clinical trial industry must continue to focus on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I). For participants to have a positive outcome and be comfortable participating, they must be able to easily understand how to participate and how to use any devices at home.


 

March 7th: Boston Bio Connections Networking Happy Hour

Kicking off the month, 20/20 Onsite co-hosted the inaugural Boston Bio Connections Networking Happy Hour with Block Clinical in Cambridge, MA. The event connected biopharma and life science leaders, sponsors, CROs, recruiters, and job seekers across the Greater Boston area and beyond. 

20/20 Onsite’s Top Takeaway

The networking event’s turnout was spectacular. 20/20 Onsite’s team and attendees fostered important relationships that led to meaningful discussions about how to advance our industries. We cannot wait to continue building on our new connections and work together toward growth in the clinical trial space.

What is Next: Sponsor and Meet Us at Upcoming Networking Events

Great networking events are only possible with great sponsors and participants. Sponsor an upcoming Boston Bio Connections event to get your brand and offerings in front of industry leaders.

To learn about attending future events and sponsorship opportunities in the Greater Boston area, join the newest biotech and life sciences networking group on LinkedIn.

 

March 8th-12th: American Academy of Dermatology’s (AAD) 2024 Annual Meeting 

Morgan Olson-Fabbro, Director of Business Development, Life Sciences, traveled to San Diego, CA, to attend AAD’s annual meeting. With over 300 sessions, the conference covered a wide range of dermatological topics—from commonly missed diagnoses in dermatology to laser and energy devices in acne treatment, and everything in between. 

20/20 Onsite’s Top Takeaway

Olson-Fabbro was excited to see the progress that has been made toward allowing clinical trials to become more decentralized while maintaining high-quality standards. He left San Diego hopeful that this trend will continue to increase diversity in patient participation.

Listen to Olson-Fabbro’s short audiogram to hear more of his takeaways from AAD 2024.

What is Next: Connect with Us About Your Next Clinical Trial 

Connect with Olson-Fabbro on LinkedIn or email him at molsonfabbro@2020onsite.com to discuss your takeaways from the meeting and continue the conversations about how 20/20 Onsite can help your next dermatology clinical trial.   


March 19th-21st: Wet AMD & Diabetic Eye Disease Drug Development Summit

Jessica Mays, VP of Life Sciences, and Katie Sigg, Business Development Associate, Life Sciences, attended the 4th annual Wet AMD & Diabetic Eye Disease Drug Development Summit in Boston, MA. With more than 4,000 clinical trials to learn about at the event, Sigg and Mays spent time connecting with some of the 2,500 industry-based retinal vascular preclinical and clinical R&D scientists. 

The CROs, sponsors, and researchers they met are determined to discover ways to prevent and treat potentially devastating, vision-threatening diseases. “This industry has incredibly talented leaders who dedicate their lives to preserving vision,” said Sigg. “It is an exciting time to be involved in research in the field of ophthalmology, especially in retina. I look forward to seeing more data as it progresses!"

20/20 Onsite’s Top Takeaways
  1. Emerging drugs have the potential to treat more diseases than just retinal diseases, like oncology and rheumatology.
    “There were compelling conversations around comprehensively treating the patient and their full medical history,” said Mays. “Instead of only treating a singular disease state when considering treatment options.”

  2. Diabetic drug delivery and its relationship to patient compliance was a focal point.
    “With injections, healthcare providers maintain a high level of control over timing and dosage,” said Mays. “But patients lose autonomy and must keep up with doctors’ appointments. What are the tradeoffs, especially when it comes to efficacy?”

  3. The desire for treatment-naive patients remains strong.
    “I'm really looking forward to the results from 20/20 Onsite's solutions, which we are currently implementing with our partners to try and solve this,” said Mays.
What is Next: Connect with Sigg and Mays About Your Next Clinical Trial

Reach out to Mays and Sigg on LinkedIn or email them at jmays@2020onsite.com and ksigg@2020onsite.com to discuss how 20/20 Onsite can help advance your retinal therapy research. 

 

March 20th-22nd: Patients as Partners

Lindsay Derucher, Project Manager, Life Sciences, represented 20/20 Onsite at Patients as Partners in Philadelphia, PA. The conference’s sessions gave pharma R&D, FDA, and patient advocates a platform to discuss how patient involvement can drive greater efficiencies in clinical research. 

Additionally, the AskthePatients onsite program gave attendees the unique opportunity to speak 1:1 with patients and caregivers who have participated in clinical trials about their personal challenges, perspectives, and insights. 

20/20 Onsite’s Top Takeaways 
  1. As an industry, we must continue to focus on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I). 
    “Oftentimes, information is presented to participants in a way that isn’t easy to understand,” said Derucher. “If a participant cannot understand what participation looks like, or how to use a device at home, they are less likely to feel comfortable participating and have a positive outcome.”
  2. The patient perspective should be the foundation of clinical trial design.
    “At 20/20 Onsite, we are offering patient-centric solutions and individualized support for clinical trial participants,” said Derucher. “Through in-person and hybrid care models, directly to a participant's home, or to the location that is most convenient to them. Each step of the way, we ensure that our communication with patients is inclusive, kind, and easy to understand so that they can participate with confidence and comfort.”
  3. How we continue to make participation patient-centric makes a difference for patients and their outcomes.
    Derucher attended the AskthePatient program where Mackenzie Abramson, a patient and patient advocate, advised: “If you are an organization that is patient-centric, ask your patients what that means to them and incorporate that into your clinical trial design.” Derucher left with a renewed understanding that the industry as a whole is responsible for patient-centric clinical trials. 
What is Next: Connect with Derucher About Patient Involvement in Your Next Clinical Trial

Connect with Derucher on LinkedIn or email her at lderucher@2020onsite.com to explore ways 20/20 Onsite can help increase patient involvement and drive greater efficiencies in clinical research. 

Looking Ahead: Where to Find 20/20 Onsite Next

20/20 Onsite’s Life Sciences team will be at these upcoming industry events:  

If your team will be in attendance, please email us at lifesciences@2020onsite.com so we can schedule a time to meet and discuss how 20/20 Onsite can support your next study.
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