Alzheimer’s Biomarker Study Addresses Historical Underrepresentation in Trials - Technology Networks

Rethink trial design with decentralized, community-based models to cut barriers, let patients enroll closer to home, and preserve high-quality safety data. Making clinical trials more accessible requires rethinking how studies are designed, supported, and conducted, particularly for patients receiving care in community settings. In an interview with Targeted Oncology, Krish Patel, MD, executive director of hematologic cancer research at Sarah Cannon Research Institute, discusses the role of trial sponsors, research organizations, community oncology sites, and regulatory agencies in reducing barriers to participation. Patel emphasizes that while community oncology sites may have varying capabilities, they care for a large proportion of patients who could benefit from clinical trial participation. He argues that stakeholders should reassess which traditional trial requirements are truly necessary to determine whether a therapy is safe and effective and which may create unnecessary barriers for patients and sites. One potential solution is greater use of decentralized trial models.

Four late-breaking trials, presented at ESC Congress 2026 focused on post-acute coronary syndrome (ACS) antithrombotic therapy. LIBREXIA ACS examined adding the factor XIa inhibitor milvexian to antiplatelet therapy after ACS, PREMIUM looked at aspirin omission at the time of primary PCI for STEMI, SWITCH SWEDEHEART evaluated whether to switch from ticagrelor to prasugrel in ACS, and A-CLOSE compared clopidogrel monotherapy with extended dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) after high-risk PCI. LIBREXIA ACS: Can Factor XIa Inhibition Improve Outcomes After ACS?

Tony Stepanow, from Finland, attends a sauna during the International Sauna Congress 2026 in Oslo, Norway, Sept. 25, 2026. The belief that heat can benefit the mind and relieve psychic suffering has a long history across human societies. But when Eva Hilland scanned the scientific literature for the kind of evidence that would support recommending heat as a legitimate intervention for mental health, she came up with very little.