Paving The Way For Virtual Trials In Neurology: A Fully Remote ALS Study

By Christine Guo, ActiGraph Chief Scientific Officer

The COVID-19 pandemic has completely changed the way we think about clinical research and care. Clinical trials, a vital component of the drug development process, were heavily disrupted because patients, often with weakened immune systems, could not visit hospitals and research sites. Unable to conduct studies that required in-person visits, biopharma and medical device companies were forced to delay or cancel planned clinical trials, resulting in the loss of billions of dollars.1 In order to alleviate this dependence on site visits, technology-enabled remote studies-- also known as decentralized or virtual clinical trials -- have become vital to advancing clinical research in this environment.