Abstract PO-006: Building a new clinical trial diversity alliance to transform our ability to reach understudied and underserved patients
Authors: Bhagat Ruma , McKenzie Meghan , Gonzales Melissa , Wilson Gerren , Richie Nicole , Highsmith Quita 
Published: January 2022

Not all segments of the population have benefited equally from advances in science and medicine. Distinct populations continue to be understudied in science, underrepresented in research, and underserved by medicine. Multiple complex factors, including the lack of diverse representation in research, are contributing to disparate health outcomes. For instance, among both men and women, Black patients have the highest cancer death rates. Without intervention, future medical innovations will not broadly benefit all patients and society. Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, believes data representative of real-world patient populations is required to optimize clinical outcomes for all patients. To make meaningful progress toward this goal, we created a system-level strategy. Last year, we began building a network of clinical trial sites to advance the representation of diverse patient populations in the company's oncology clinical trials, test recruitment and retention approaches, and establish best practices that can be leveraged across the industry to help achieve health equity for people with cancer. The first step in identifying potential partners for this alliance was to develop site criteria. We considered numerous attributes including: operational capabilities and performance in enrolling underrepresented patient populations, D&I reputation and community involvement with these patient populations, attitude and commitment to inclusive research, and scientific reputation. We used both internal and external data sources to stratify sites based on two key attributes. First, we compared sites' historical enrollment of Black, Latinx and other underrepresented patients in oncology trials. Second, we evaluated the size of the Black and Latinx populations within the catchment area of sites. Included in the data analysis were about 20,000 potential oncology sites. Within those sites that had a large number of underrepresented patient populations, we used enrollment and experience with Genentech oncology trials to further refine our search. We refined our list based on study teams' experience with site capability to conduct phase I-IV trials. We then conducted in-depth site interviews to identify those sites that were aligned with our mission and were making significant efforts to reach patients of color. After the interview process was completed, four inaugural sites were selected for the launch of the Advancing Inclusive Research Site Alliance. Each of the centers will focus on enabling historically underrepresented patient groups to participate in Genentech's oncology trials and work collaboratively to share key learnings and explore innovative ways of increasing clinical trial access for every patient who might benefit. The AIR Site Alliance plans to expand to more research centers and broaden its focus into additional disease areas in the future. Together, we will work to enrich science, eliminate disparity in outcomes and provide equitable access to innovative therapies for all patients.

Citation Format: Ruma Bhagat, Meghan McKenzie, Melissa Gonzales, Gerren Wilson, Nicole Richie, Quita Highsmith. Building a new clinical trial diversity alliance to transform our ability to reach understudied and underserved patients [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Virtual Conference: 14th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2021 Oct 6-8. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2022;31(1 Suppl):Abstract nr PO-006.