Illustration credit: A.E. Kieren
Asked to describe the quote-unquote big idea underlining Science 37, the company he co-founded a little over a year ago, Craft is quick with a sound bite. “Clinical trials are too slow, too expensive and not very patient-centric,” he says. “Current clinical-trial inefficiencies ultimately hamper the discovery of new cures.”
To that end, Craft and his team have worked to eliminate those inefficiencies by creating a clinical-trial operating model that brings together patients and investigators through “metasites,” or virtual study sites. “Ninety percent of people want to participate in trials but less than 3% of people do,” Craft explains. “We deliver the entire trial right to the patient’s home.” He adds that the Science 37 platform increases the speed of enrollment and size of research population while simultaneously improving communication between patients and staff.
Last June the company launched what it believes to be the first-ever virtual-networked clinical trial using telemedicine to monitor the effects of an infusion medication in patients (Genentech was a sponsor). “I’m optimistic and delusional by nature, but our progress has even blown away my own expectations,” Craft says.
