Minority Participation in Precision Medicine Trials
Minority Participation in Precision Medicine Trials
April 16, 2020 | White Paper
Key Insight
“Clinical trials that are focused on precision medicine, such as therapeutics targeting a specific rare or genetic disease, have the potential to blind clinical trial recruitment and achieve diversity goals in patient enrollment."
Abstract
Minority and at-risk patients have been historically underrepresented in clinical trials. Evidence suggests that therapeutic efficacy is impacted by clinical trial demographics as (1) non-inclusive recruitment protocols are not representative of the target patient group and (2) the trial participants do not match the epidemiology of the disease. We hypothesize that clinical trials that are focused on precision medicine, such as therapeutics targeting a specific rare or genetic disease, have the potential to blind clinical trial recruitment and achieve diversity goals in patient enrollment. In these cases, recruitment would be more stringent than historical protocols due to the targeted patient population. More specifically, for a rare or genetic disease that primarily affects minorities, clinical trial makeup should reflect the patient population as trial administrators are screening based on a patient’s genetic profile. This could have the unintended consequence of recruiting a higher percentage of minority patients than in traditional clinical trials. This paper explores the impact of precision medicine on bridging the diversity gap in clinical trial recruitment.
Calls for Action
Acknowledge disparities in precision trial recruitment to prioritize devising appropriate solutions
Highlight, identify, and vocally circulate these recruitment challenges mentioned above to all minority patients
Improve recruitment, training, and mentorship of young investigators, particularly those of racial and ethnic minority backgrounds and those with an interest in cancer disparities
Invest in cultural competency training
Key Statistics and Infographics
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Authors
Ryan Haake, MBA, MS
Senior Analyst at CHI
Mounika Kata, MS
Senior Analyst at CHI
Joseph Gaspero
CEO and Co-Founder at CHI
Joseph Gaspero is the CEO and Co-Founder of CHI. He is a healthcare executive, strategist, and researcher. He co-founded CHI in 2009 to be an independent, objective, and interdisciplinary research and education institute for healthcare. Joseph leads CHI’s research and education initiatives focusing on including patient-driven healthcare, patient engagement, clinical trials, drug pricing, and other pressing healthcare issues. He sets and executes CHI’s strategy, devises marketing tactics, leads fundraising efforts, and manages CHI’s Management team. Joseph is passionate and committed to making healthcare and our world a better place. His leadership stems from a wide array of experiences, including founding and operating several non-profit and for-profit organizations, serving in the U.S. Air Force in support of 2 foreign wars, and deriving expertise from time spent in industries such as healthcare, financial services, and marketing. Joseph’s skills include strategy, management, entrepreneurship, healthcare, clinical trials, diversity & inclusion, life sciences, research, marketing, and finance. He has lived in six countries, traveled to over 30 more, and speaks 3 languages, all which help him view business strategy through the prism of a global, interconnected 21st century. Joseph has a B.S. in Finance from the University of Illinois at Chicago. When he’s not immersed in his work at CHI, he spends his time snowboarding backcountry, skydiving, mountain biking, volunteering, engaging in MMA, and rock climbing.