Trials with Maya Z Maya Zlatanova

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: Gretchen references an article by Fabrice André in Nature magazine, discussing his frustrations with current cancer treatment methodologies. "Forget lung, breast or prostate cancer: why tumour naming needs to change” FindMeCure: Maya mentions FindMeCure, a platform that supports patients in finding clinical trials.Gustave Roussy Institute: Gretchen notes the Gustave Roussy Institute in France for its work in predictive analytics and new oncology practices.AlphaFold: Mentioned by Gretchen as a research initiative like Google DeepMind, focusing on protein structures and potentially new treatments, including psychedelics for depression.PARP Inhibitors: Discussed in the context of drug approvals for various cancers and their use in clinical trials, specifically highlighted by Gretchen.Maya Zlatanova, CEO of TrialHub
Gretchen Knoll, Président and CEO of Wyvern Quill Consulting

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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

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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

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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

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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. 

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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