NEW YORK –Laboratory Corporation of America said Wednesday that its Covance drug development unit will join the Tempus TIME Trial program to accelerate patient enrollment for oncology clinical trials.
The Tempus Integrated Molecular Evaluation (TIME) Trial features a proprietary technology platform that analyzes molecular and clinical data on cancer patients in real time to find suitable and — importantly — convenient trials for individuals. Chicago-based Tempus said that institutions participating in TIME Trial can have patients enrolled in research within 10 days of bringing a biomarker-targeted trial online.
"With oncology patient enrollment rates being in the single digits, it's imperative that we find comprehensive approaches to accelerate oncology clinical trials and bring new treatments to patients faster. The combination of our capabilities will increase the ability to identify patients with specific genetic markers and link them to trial sites, thus greatly expanding access to hard-to-find patient pools for faster enrollment of the right patients for precision medicine oncology clinical trials," Covance CEO Paul Kirchgraber said in a statement.
Tempus CMO Kim Blackwell said that TIME Trial now boasts a network of 50 provider organizations and 2,500 oncologists. The program only sends patients to prequalified academic and community cancer centers so those who qualify can enroll right away.
"We're excited to collaborate with LabCorp's drug development business, Covance, and leverage their network of oncology sites and community physicians across the US," Blackwell added. "This collaboration furthers our mission to increase trial participation and ultimately bring the right treatment to the right patients at the right time."