ONCOassist launches Innovative clinical trial search engine

Kerry based ONCOassist has launched a clinical trial search engine with Cancer Trials Ireland. ONCOassist enables busy and under pressure oncology clinicians to access relevant, up to date tools and content at their fingertips.

The Irish company identified a huge demand for a search engine tool, from engaging with their global community of over 13,000 users across more than 170 countries, and Cancer Trials Ireland.

ONCOassist has identified three key challenges associated with clinical trials recruitment, which will be addressed through the search engine:

– Searching for trials

– – 30% of study costs are spent on recruitment

– Referring patients for trials

– – Only 39% of trials include contact details for specific site location

– Awareness regarding undersubscribed trials

– – 20% – 30% of trials fail because they are undersubscribed

The platform was funded by the HSE and their QIC digital innovation program. QIC is designed to open up innovation pathways through which clinicians, in collaboration with eHealth Ireland expertise, can seek seed-funding for creative digital solutions. The project was also developed in close collaboration with Cancer Trials Ireland.

Commenting on the development of the search engine, ONCOassist co-founder and CEO Eoin O’Carroll said, “We are constantly striving to contribute to the cancer care community within Ireland and abroad, and the new clinical trials search engine does exactly that. By identifying this need we are able to collaborate with our peers to bring a solution-focused approach that is improving cancer patient care.”

The clinical trials search engine is now available across Ireland and aims to scale globally.