Earlier this month, we gathered in Paris for the Trials@Home Annual Meeting, hosted graciously by Natalie Piton, Head of Public-Private Partnerships at Sanofi, at the Sanofi Paris-Gentilly offices. A big thank-you to Sanofi for making us feel so welcome during this insightful three-day event!

Days 1 & 2

The first two days were packed with working sessions and project updates from our consortium members, both in-person and online. We reflected on key deliverables and milestones achieved in the past year and explored what lies ahead. Our project leads Kim Hawkins and Mira Zuidgeest perfectly summarized it in three key words: accomplishments, collaboration, and recommendations.

A highlight of Day 2 was a virtual guest appearance by Dr. Leonard Sacks, Acting Deputy Director of the FDA’s Office of Medical Policy, who clarified the FDA’s new guidelines for decentralized clinical trial (DCT) approaches—a critical discussion for our consortium’s work.

Day 3: Focus on the Future

The final day opened with Paloma Mallorquin from IHI, who shared IHI’s expectations for delivering impactful, sustainable outcomes as a public-private partnership. Paloma emphasized that effective communication is crucial for showcasing our work to external stakeholders and reaffirmed the value of public private partnerships, noting the consortium’s excellent progress so far.

We also welcomed Rod Junor and Joachim Lovin from TransCelerate, who provided updates on TransCelerate’s work around site and patient preferences in DCTs. Their session led into an engaging panel discussion on the future of DCTs, moderated by Isla Mackenzie. Panelists, including João Nabais, Tiffany Tsachalina, Joachim Lovin, and Rod Junor, debated whether we’re placing too much burden on sites and patients—an important topic for the field.

Finally, we wrapped up with a Q&A panel on RADIAL, featuring Mira Zuidgeest, Helga Gardarsdottir, Yvonne van Rijswick, Bart Lagerwaard, Sten Hanke, Theresa Weitlaner, and Megan Heath. They shared challenges and insights gained from their work on our proof-of-concept study RADIAL, offering valuable insights for the consortium moving forward.

Before concluding, we celebrated the season with a trip to a Christmas market in Paris—a perfect end to a productive meeting!

Stay tuned as we move into an exciting year ahead.