The START Center for Cancer Research (START) announced a strategic partnership with Advarra, a provider of clinical research solutions for sites and institutions, including ethics oversight, technology, and consulting and professional services. This collaboration significantly advances START's leadership position in oncology research by creating an end-to-end, patient-centric clinical trial workflow across its growing network of sites, driving standardization, data efficiency, compliance, and consistent high quality.
Through this strategic alliance, START's global site network will leverage Advarra's comprehensive portfolio of products and services. Advarra will be START's preferred provider for Independent Review Board (IRB) and Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) services. Additionally, START will leverage new technologies that seamlessly integrate with Advarra's OnCore Clinical Trial Management System (CTMS), which supports over 85% of NCI-designated cancer centers and has been actively used to improve operational efficiency across START's network since 2024. Initially, START will deploy Advarra's CTMS-integrated electronic regulatory management system, called eReg, for end-to-end, secure management of regulatory documents across all sites participating in a trial.
"Oncology drug development companies are under intense pressure to deliver innovative treatments to patients swiftly and reliably," said Nick Slack, MBE, Chairman and CEO of START. "By partnering with Advarra, we are building a truly interconnected ecosystem, leveraging the best technology and regulatory expertise in the industry, and adopting Advarra's standardized workflows and integrated platforms will significantly enhance our operational efficiency, compliance, and quality—ensuring that we not only accelerate the delivery of breakthrough therapies to patients but also uphold the highest standards of patient safety. We're proud to advance our mission with a partner equally committed to excellence."
Implementation of Advarra's integrated solutions across START's global network is well underway, with OnCore and Advarra's IRB and IBC services already actively in use. This partnership marks a significant milestone in START's continued investment in infrastructure, operational excellence, and its mission of delivering "Hope Through Access," aimed at connecting patients, physicians, and advocacy groups with community-based cancer trials.
"Advarra is honored to support START in fulfilling its mission of bringing cutting-edge cancer treatments to patients," said Gadi Saarony, CEO of Advarra. "With deep expertise in oncology research, decades-long partnerships with leading cancer centers, and a proven track record of delivering solutions for regulatory compliance and operational excellence, our role is to help remove barriers to research—streamlining the path from discovery to care. We're proud to partner with START as it expands its reach and impact around the world."