The Centers for Advanced Surgical Exploration (CASExGLOBAL) is partnering with iOR Partners and Clinical AI to debut an artificial intelligence (AI)-based site management organization (SMO) that will feature clinical trials in ophthalmic office-based surgery (OBS) centers.
This sounds groundbreaking … let’s start with these three players.
First up: iOR Partners.
iOR Partners is noted as the (currently) only company solely focused on providing office-based surgery (OBS) suites—nationally accredited operating rooms located within ophthalmic practices—for clinical practices across the United States.
About these suites …
Through working relationships with eyecare professionals (ECPs) and their practices, the company’s 100+ iOR surgical suites are designed to provide cataract surgeons with tools for offering more personalized care, along with a turnkey solution that includes:
- Space build-out
- Surgical equipment acquisition
- Staff training
- Insurance acquisition
- Accreditation
- Compliance services
Bonus: Get a 360° virtual tour of these suites.
Nice! And next?
Enter: Clinical AI.
Launched in 2020, the software development technology specializes in AI-based applications for healthcare—from streamlining patient enrollments for clinical trials to developing AI-powered medical devices. Its specialty areas include:
- Surgery
- Endoscopy
- Radiology
- Ultrasound
- Angiography
The company’s flagship platform: Medical AI Assistant (MAIA), which features a wide range of applications for clinicians, including clinical trial eligibility screenings and virtual AI assistants trained to assist with clinical trial protocols.
And lastly …
Introducing: CASExGLOBAL.
In partnership with Erie Retina Research in Erie, Pennsylvania, CASExGLOBAL is focused on advancing ophthalmic and vitreoretinal care and patient outcomes as well as:
- Pioneering research
- Surgical training
- Product development
Its leadership: Heading up CASExGLOBAL (and Erie Retina Research) is David RP Almeida, MD, MBA, PhD, along with João (John) Trein, MD, MpH, and a team of clinical experts.
- Its network: Encompasses 50+ specialized clinical trials spanning five continents and the following specialties: rare genetic disorders and advanced retinal diseases.
And how is CASExGLOBAL advancing its research?
By:
- Equipping ophthalmologists with “the latest advancements and comprehensive training in intravitreal (IV) corticosteroid implants”
- Promoting clinical precision and confidence in patient care
- Collaborating with pharmaceutical and ophthalmic device companies to “enhance treatment options”
Plus: Case X Academy, its flagship educational initiative, offers immersive, hands-on training that provides students with real-world surgical practice using “near real surgical specimens” in a controlled environment.
Okay, now give me the rundown on a site management organization.
In general, an SMO is a company that provides clinical trial management services to pharmaceutical, biotech, or medical companies.
Its role: Involves assisting sponsors with streamlining their administrative processes while making sure regulatory requirements are met—as well as supporting any clinical research organizations (CROs) and clinical investigators at clinical trial sites with such tasks as startup, monitoring, and closeouts.
The benefits of an SMO: Can vary, but typically include reducing trial timelines and costs and developing more efficient and accurate trial results.
Now to this partnership …
With that SMO definition in mind, add AI to the mix. The result? Potentially groundbreaking.
Per the companies, the initiative will combine AI and a “decentralized trial framework, designed to streamline processes, enhance patient safety, and accelerate drug and device development.”
How this will be done: Through iOR Partners’ nationwide OBS suites—which undergo an accreditation process that makes them equipped for decentralized clinical trials and, as a result, ensures SMOs “meet high standards of quality and performance”—as well as Clinical AI’s AI application in healthcare and life sciences.
And who’s heading up this initiative?
None other than CASExGLOBAL’s lead ophthalmologist: Dr. Almeida.
“The OBS model we’ve developed at Erie Retina Research is the most efficient way to operate an ophthalmology-focused clinical research site, accelerating the pace of research while prioritizing patient safety and experience,” he stated.
This model, according to Dr. Almeida, “is ready to grow.”
And with this new partnership, “we are ready to bring our novel model and proven strategies to 130+ iOR Suites around the world,” he added.
Let’s get some input on this from the companies …
Tony Burns, iOR Partners’ Founder and Chief Strategy Officer, noted that, as the company’s iOR Suites network is “already accustomed to going through extensive steps to become accredited,” it’s well suited for decentralized trials.
Similarly, Clinical AI Chief Operating Officer Alex Ravitz stated that its platforms are designed to enable “trials to move faster while maintaining high data quality, shortening the time it takes for new medical products to receive regulatory approvals.”
And the end goal of this partnership?
Ideally, this triple duo is looking to provide faster, safer, and more efficient AI-based clinical trials on—eventually—a global scale.
Amazing! Where can I learn more from these companies?
If you’re attending the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) meeting in Chicago, Illinois, later this month (Oct. 18-21), you're in luck!
Both iOR Partners (Booth #3500) and Clinical AI will be exhibitors.