The PPD clinical research business of Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. and Matrix Clinical Trials, a Matrix Medical Network offering, are collaborating to bring clinical trials to patients with a decentralized clinical trial (DCT) solution, according to a recent news release.

The business is deploying Matrix mobile research sites and clinical staff across the U.S. to help identify, recruit and retain trial participants, "while ensuring a positive patient experience," the release stated. "At the same time, the two companies are exploring opportunities to expand the collaboration to additional geographies."

Thermo Fisher’s clinical research business is the only clinical research organization (CRO) to use Matrix’s virtual principal investigator network coupled with mobile sites as a stand-alone transportable clinical trial operation, according to the release.

Tim Rich, vice president of digital and decentralized solutions, clinical research, for Thermo Fisher, said in the release, “Mobile sites are a key component of our sought-after portfolio of hybrid and decentralized clinical trial capabilities. With Matrix’s experienced teams of clinicians and ready-to-deploy mobile sites, we are able to reach a broader range of participants, including in previously under-represented and under-served communities, without requiring them to travel to traditional investigator sites far from their homes.”

The goal is to increase patient diversity and access, according to the release, "and to improve the patient experience, resulting in time efficiencies and data quality enhancements that can help speed development timelines. These services reduce the burden for patients to participate in clinical trials, while providing customers with greater geographic reach through reduced reliance on brick-and-mortar site locations, more timely access to data, improved quality and consistency, and better patient engagement."

Thad Wolfram, president of Matrix Clinical Trials, said in the release, “We have been enabling decentralized clinical trials and working together since the beginning of the pandemic, using our mobile sites as a critical component to diversifying clinical trial participant populations. As we’ve seen over the last year, these innovative offerings are providing a growing benefit across varying therapeutic areas to reach underserved and geographically diverse trial populations.

"Our novel collaboration with Thermo Fisher strongly aligns with both organizations’ vision of advancing life-saving clinical research and improving health outcomes for study participants.”