goBalto Sponsors Tufts CSDD Study to Benchmark the Clinical Trial Initiation Process

SAN FRANCISCO, November 17, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

goBalto, developer of new generation web-based clinical research solutions, announced that it is providing a research grant for the Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development (Tufts CSDD) to benchmark the clinical trial initiation process.  Currently there is virtually no industry data available on the typical process that companies follow and on the amount of time that this process takes.

Tufts CSDD, an independent, non-profit academic research group at Tufts University in Boston, routinely conducts benchmark studies of critical drug development functions and activities.  For this study, fifteen international biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies and clinical research organizations (CROs) will provide data on their experience initiating clinical trials.  Tufts CSDD will discuss the study aims and methodology at Informa's site feasibility and study start-up conference in London on December 6-7, 2011.

"This study will map the steps and duration of the clinical trial initiation process," said Ken Getz, senior research fellow at Tufts CSDD and principal investigator on the project. "We anticipate identifying critical insights that sponsors and CROs can use to accelerate their study start-up times and drive higher levels of efficiency and effectiveness in the process."

goBalto also announced a strategic partnership with Genexion, a full-service CRO that has selected Tracker™, goBalto's web-based clinical trials platform, for its clinical research study start-up and monitoring.

"We're delighted to be collaborating with the Tufts Center to study this important topic and look forward to the learnings that the industry will draw from the study findings," said Jae Chung, founder and CEO of goBalto. "With respect to our new strategic alliance with Genexion, interest in Tracker has been strong and we expect to announce some significant partnerships in the near future to help drive industry-wide acceptance of this technology."

"A good start-up is key to the success of any clinical trial.  With Tracker, we are now in full control of this critical phase," added Dr. Yves Grumser, CEO of Genexion.  "With fewer resources, we can now identify potential start-up gaps earlier, focus on sites that need more support, share up-to-date information among all stakeholders and report accurate and up-to-date project tracking information to our clients.  Tracker has changed the way we are managing trials."

About goBalto

goBalto is a developer of new generation web-based solutions that simplify how clinical trials are conducted in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device industries.  Tracker™, launched in June 2011, is the first purpose-built Software-as-a-Service clinical research tool that enables clinical trials sponsors and clinical research organizations to collaborate with multiple partners directly from the web in a transparent and regulatory compliant manner.  Founded in Silicon Valley in 2008 by biotechnology industry veteran Jae Chung and backed by leading health technology investors, goBalto applies Agile and lean startup methodologies to building technological solutions that address evolving global healthcare.  Visit http://www.gobalto.com for more information.

SOURCE goBalto