High Point Clinical Trials Center Joins ProSciento's NASH PASS™ Initiative Focused on Accelerating NAFLD/NASH Clinical Trial Recruitment

HIGH POINT, N.C., June 19, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- High Point Clinical Trials Center, LLC, the largest independent clinical research unit in North Carolina, announced today a three-year collaboration with ProSciento, a specialized CRO exclusively focused on metabolic diseases, to join as a NASH PASS site partner. ProSciento's NASH PASS program marries select qualified sites and a proprietary methodology to improve enrollment outcomes in NASH clinical trials. HPCTC is partnering with ProSciento to use the NASH PASS protocol to identify individuals eligible for enrollment into clinical trials of therapeutic candidates to treat NAFLD (non-alcoholic fatty liver disease) and NASH (steatohepatitis).

HPCTC conducts clinical research studies with a focus in Phase I/II Proof of Concept clinical pharmacology research. As a NASH PASS partner, High Point Clinical Trials Center will contribute to the  expansion and enrichment of its database of prospective clinical study participants evaluated for NAFLD/NASH by utilizing a combination of transient elastography (Fibroscan), proprietary algorithms, and non-invasive biomarker testing.

"This collaboration is an ideal alignment between best in class organizations focused on providing early clinical proof of concept study design and execution in the NAFLD and NASH disease space. HPCTC's experienced staff and metabolic testing techniques (including glucose clamping and de novo lipogenesis) in combination with our patient database will provide a unique research destination for biopharmaceutical clients to advance their metabolic and NAFLD/NASH drug development programs. Our consultative approach ensures that the correct endpoints are incorporated into the study design and with ProSciento we are well-positioned to support enriched clinical enrollment for those studies," states Clay Dehn, Vice-President of Clinical Pharmacology Services at HPCTC.

"NAFLD/NASH represents a rapidly growing and evolving field of biopharmaceutical R&D, with a sizable number of drug candidates advancing through the various stages of preclinical and clinical development. I am delighted that our joint teams at ProSciento and HPCTC have come together to lead the commercial research industry in metabolic disease patient enrichment. These much-needed efforts will spur rapid recruitment of patients into clinical trials which directly translates into novel pharmaceutical products and new methodologies for earlier treatment of this emerging metabolic epidemic," added Dr. Lorraine M. Rusch, President of HPCTC.

About High Point Clinical Trials Center (HPCTC)
HPCTC, founded in 2009, is the largest independent clinical research unit in North Carolina. HPCTC conducts the full range of clinical trial phases, with a special focus on Phase I/II translational medicine studies including First-in-Human, clinical Proof of Concept and the traditional IND/NDA-enabling clinical pharmacology programs for Contract Research Organization, biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies globally.

Contacts:
Lorraine M. Rusch, Ph.D., President
High Point Clinical Trials Center
[email protected]
914.548.1690

SOURCE High Point Clinical Trials Center