ICON plc, a clinical research organization, expanded its portfolio of artificial intelligence (AI) tools that aim to deliver efficiencies across the clinical trial process, including study startup, document management, resource forecasting and metrics reporting. 

ICON has invested significantly, with support from Enterprise Ireland, in its AI and digital capabilities through the establishment of its AI Center of Excellence, which is responsible for developing and deploying AI tools that accelerate trials, enhance data and optimize operational efficiencies. The center is supported by an AI Governance Committee, which oversees ethical, legal and data privacy standards in the deployment of new solutions.

The latest tools to be launched include:

iSubmit, which automates the clinical trial document management process. It uses AI to help improve compliance, reduce the burden on clinical project teams, and manage documents in an efficient and accurate way based on defined rules.

Mapi Research Trust COA leverages AI to remain current with latest Clinical Outcome Assessments (COAs) from public sources in near real-time. It provides comprehensive intelligence to help support optimal clinical trial protocols/designs.

FORWARD+ is an AI-enabled capability that aims to provide visibility into resource demands, allocations and forecasting. 

Study Start-up Site Contracts is an AI-enabled capability that streamlines the clinical contract drafting process by leveraging historical clinical contracts in order to create comprehensive near final draft contracts.

OMR AI Navigation Assistant empowers operational clinical study metrics with generative AI to provide analytics to transform data into business insights.

With these AI tools ICON aims to support its customers in overcoming some of the challenges in realizing the potential of AI in drug development. A recent ICON survey of biopharma companies found that 13% of respondents indicated that while AI and digital technologies are being heavily used in single development programs, it is challenging for organizations to systemically incorporate them, possibly due to the complexity of managing such strategic, enterprise-scale digital disruption.

Tom O’Leary, CIO at ICON, said, “Our research indicates that while the potential of AI to transform the drug development process is widely acknowledged, realizing this potential at scale will take time and investment. As a leading clinical research organization, it is our role to innovate the clinical trial process to support our customers in delivering new medicines to patients faster. We’re pleased to launch these additional new solutions, developed in a responsible and comprehensive way, which will deliver faster, smarter and more reliable outcomes for our customers.”