By Joseph Keenan
Syneos Health inked a multiyear deal with Microsoft to further develop a platform that leverages machine learning to support and speed the analysis, design and operations of clinical trials and “elevate the commercial performance” of biopharmas.
The collaboration is with Microsoft Research and will allow the CRO to process and analyze data to optimize resource allocation and unlock clinical trial efficiencies, the company said. By creating a platform that makes use of Microsoft’s Azure cloud computing platform, as well as leveraging developments by OpenAI, Syneos’ goal is to provide improved trial site selection while reducing enrollment timelines.
Financial details and the length of the “multi-year” contract weren’t disclosed.
“Syneos and Microsoft have the same mindset of taking a pragmatic approach into how we look at how technology and data enablement can change how we look at healthcare, and also expedite, in a safe way, the treatments and care for patients around the world,” Darren Coleman, Syneos’ chief enterprise data and AI officer, told Fierce Biotech. “We’ve come together to focus on a seamless, frictionless approach to technology and data movement and then allow that technology to bring the intelligence to life.”
In December, Syneos extended its partnership with Medable that was first signed in 2021 in an effort to boost decentralized clinical trials and improve patient diversity. Under that agreement, Syneos received access to Medable’s digital platform that helped the CRO grow its siteless study platform. The technology allowed the introduction of elements such as telemedicine and connected devices to help patients participate in trials from home.
