Advarra and IgniteData announced a new partnership to enable research sites to securely transfer clinical data between Advarra’s eSource and electronic data capture (EDC) solutions, electronic health record (EHR) systems, and sponsor EDC systems. Together, the companies will advance an open, vendor-agnostic ecosystem that improves data accuracy, reduces administrative burden, and accelerates clinical trial conduct.
Research sites often face “swivel-chair” inefficiencies when transferring data between EHR, eSource, and EDC systems. A recent byline co-authored by experts at leading oncology research institutions found that more than half of clinical trial data is duplicated between research and hospital systems, with about 20% of study costs spent on data duplication and verification—time that could be better spent advancing research.
“Sites have long struggled with fragmented, disconnected solutions that make data exchange cumbersome and error-prone,” said Scott Uebele, chief operating officer at Advarra. “With 90 of the top 125 academic medical centers, 90% of NCI-Designated Cancer Centers, and over 300 enterprise research sites leveraging Advarra’s site technology—including OnCore CTMS, Clinical Conductor CTMS, eReg, eSource, and EDC—we’re dedicated to bringing innovations to market that simplify processes. Our partnership with IgniteData is a natural extension of that vision, building a more efficient, connected ecosystem that helps the research community work smarter together. By connecting EHR, eSource, and EDC systems, we’re removing administrative barriers that have bogged down research sites for years.”
Zach Taft, CEO of IgniteData, added, "Unlike other vendor connectors that require organizations to use a single, proprietary platform to unlock efficiencies, our partnership with Advarra will give research sites the flexibility to use the tools they choose. And the best part? These solutions exist today, meaning we aren’t staring down years of lengthy product development and resource investments. We’re enabling faster, more accurate trials with the systems that sites and sponsors use every day, freeing up their time to advance research and improve patient outcomes.”
For commercial research sites that may not have an EHR system, the integration will enable the capture of data in Advarra’s eSource platform to flow directly through IgniteData’s Archer connector into the sponsor’s EDC of choice. For academic medical centers and cancer centers conducting investigator-initiated trials (IITs) the integration will support direct data transfer from the institution’s EHR through IgniteData’s Archer platform into Advarra’s EDC, bringing the same efficiency and data integrity realized in sponsor-led studies to institution-led research.
“Academic research thrives when systems talk to each other,” said Denise Snyder, associate dean for clinical research at Duke University. “Secure, automated data flow from our EHR into the EDC and eSource will not only reduce staff burden and improve data quality; it will accelerate the pace of discovery—a feat that our whole industry can rally behind.”
Joe Lengfellner, senior director of clinical research informatics at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK), added: “At MSK, we’ve seen firsthand how connecting data systems improves the quality and efficiency of clinical research. We have used these platforms individually and are excited about this new collaboration as it will help reduce staff burden, improve data quality, and help sites like ours run research more efficiently and effectively.”