STAT+: HHS announces new efforts to speed up, expand clinical trials with AI — SkimNews
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- HHS announced new initiatives aimed at speeding up clinical trials by incorporating more artificial intelligence and computational models and moving away from sharply delineated trial phases.
- The centerpiece is a five-year program called SURPASS ("Simulation-augmented, Real-time Platform Adaptive Seamless Trials"), set to begin accepting proposals later this fall.
- SURPASS will solicit "ground-breaking ideas from cross-disciplinary teams in statistics, AI, and clinical trial design, operations, and regulation," according to the program's website.
- HHS is launching the initiative through the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H).
- The initial announcement did not disclose how much funding is designated for the new initiatives or whether participants will be offered more flexibility or resources.
Why it matters: The stated goal of accelerating clinical trials through AI and seamless design has direct implications for drug developers and patients awaiting new therapies, yet the announcement left SURPASS's budget and participant support unspecified — making the program's actual reach uncertain at launch.
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