New Global Industry Coalition Aiming to Dramatically increase Access for All Patients Populations in Clinical Trials and Research Launches Today

Dateline – November 11, 2020 — Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) joins a formidable alliance of fifty life sciences and healthcare organizations that seeks to accelerate the broad adoption of patient-focused, decentralized clinical trials and research. The “Decentralized Trials & Research Alliance (DTRA),” which launches December 10, 2020, plans to unite industry stakeholders, including healthcare companies, regulators, patient groups and research organizations with a singular mission to make clinical trial participation widely accessible by advancing policies, research practices and digital-health technologies in decentralized clinical research.

“Equal access to clinical trials is the foundation of Stand Up To Cancer’s Health Equity Initiative and supports our mission to make every cancer patient a long-term survivor,” said Sung Poblete, CEO of Stand Up To Cancer. “SU2C and DTRA’s efforts are aligned in the goal of making it possible for any patient, anywhere, to access trials with convenience and safety, during the pandemic and beyond.”

“We are extremely gratified to welcome Stand Up To Cancer to the Decentralized Trials & Research Alliance,” said Amir Kalali, MD, founder of several collaborative life science communities, and co-convenor of DTRA. “By advancing decentralized research, we can make the clinical trial process more patient-focused, increase trial efficiency and encourage use of technologies. We are excited by Stand Up To Cancer’s commitment to embracing decentralized trials and to changing the culture that has been the rate limiter to innovation.”

Experts estimate that COVID-19 may set back non-pandemic clinical trials by several years due to prospective patients’ inability or reluctance to schedule visits at physical research locations. Decentralized approaches to conducting research facilitate participation by a more diverse patient population and could ease COVID-19-imposed difficulties for both patients and clinical investigators. Inclusion of representative patient populations in clinical trials by race, age and geographic location has long been an operational challenge. COVID-19 has amplified the disparities and inclusion biases that have become hurdles for potential trial participants.

“Now is the time to share ideas and insights that will chart the future course of clinical trials, accelerating drug development and saving lives — and by taking part in the DTRA, Stand Up To Cancer is demonstrating its leadership to drive change,” said Craig Lipset, DTRA co-convener, clinical innovation advisor, and a pioneer in decentralized trials. “We have a responsibility to advance the health of people with unmet medical needs, and by convening stakeholders from pharma companies, regulators, technology leaders and patient communities, we can remove remaining barriers to adoption and impact patients today.”

Stand Up To Cancer joins its peer DTRA Member organizations to provide expertise to identify and address gaps and needs and advance best practices through effective education and communication. For more information and to take part, visit DTRA.org.

About Stand Up To Cancer

Stand Up To Cancer® (SU2C) raises funds to accelerate the pace of research to get new therapies to patients quickly and save lives now. SU2C, a division of the Entertainment Industry Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, was established in 2008 by media and entertainment leaders who utilize these communities’ resources to engage the public in supporting a new, collaborative model of cancer research, to increase awareness about cancer prevention, and to highlight progress being made in the fight against the disease. As of June 2020, more than 1,600 scientists representing more than 180 institutions are involved in SU2C-funded research projects.

Under the direction of our Scientific Advisory Committee, led by Nobel laureate Phillip A. Sharp, Ph.D., SU2C operates rigorous competitive review processes to identify the best research proposals to recommend for funding, oversee grants administration, and ensure collaboration across research programs.

Current members of the SU2C Council of Founders and Advisors (CFA) include Katie Couric, Sherry Lansing, Kathleen Lobb, Lisa Paulsen, Rusty Robertson, Sue Schwartz, Pamela Oas Williams, and Ellen Ziffren. The late Laura Ziskin and the late Noreen Fraser are also co-founders. Sung Poblete, Ph.D., R.N., serves as SU2C’s CEO. For more information, visit StandUpToCancer.org.

About DTRA

The Decentralized Trials & Research Alliance (DTRA) was convened to enable collaboration of stakeholders to accelerate the adoption of patient-focused, decentralized clinical trials and research within life sciences and healthcare through education and research. It works to make research participation accessible to everyone, enabled by the consistent, widespread adoption of appropriate decentralized research methods.

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