San Diego health tech company enables more diverse, accessible clinical trials
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Radicle Science, based in Del Mar, created a platform for businesses and consumers to test the effects of health products in a way that's easier, more affordable and more diverse than standard clinical trials.
Driving the news: The health tech company won the data design category in Fast Company's 2023 Innovation by Design Awards for its "proof-as-a-service" platform that tests and generates health data as clinical evidence.
Why it matters: Clinical trials, which test the safety and effectiveness of drugs, can cost tens of millions of dollars, and are often limited to urban, academic research centers that exclude women, people of color and older people.
- There is also no clinical-trial framework for natural medicines or consumer-wellness products – even those that millions of people are already using, according to Fast Company.
What's happening: The "Radicle Proof Engine" enables fully remote clinical trials by mailing non-pharmaceutical products and placebos directly to patients' homes instead of requiring in-person visits.
- These AI-driven, virtual trials are faster, cheaper and designed to include diverse populations on a large scale to increase health equity.
What they're saying: "People working two jobs aren't going to waste several hours a week to participate in a clinical trial," co-founder Jeff Chen told Fast Company.
- "Single moms, night shift workers, people who are mobility-impaired, people who don't have a car — vast swaths of the population are already being excluded."
- "We want to make sure the data we collect is representative of the population," co-founder Pelin Thorogood told Fast Company.
- "This is the kind of data that's going to make our healthcare system and our public policies better."
By the numbers: Since summer 2021, Radicle Science has studied over 30,000 Americans, according to Fast Company.
- 54% of participants identify as female
- 20% are people of color
- 20% live outside of metropolitan areas
Of note: Participants are "unblinded" at the end of the study so they can see the data to understand how a product may have helped them.
The bottom line: With proof-as-a-service, anyone, anywhere with a phone or tablet and one hour over 6-8 weeks can participate in a clinical trial.