Mednet Launches NCI SBIR/STTR-Funded TrialMatch to Accelerate Cancer Clinical Trial Discovery

AI-powered TrialMatch helps oncologists discover relevant trials faster by bringing trials to physicians where treatment decisions happen.

NEW YORK, Aug. 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Mednet today announced TrialMatch, a clinical trial discovery tool designed to help oncologists identify relevant cancer trials in minutes instead of hours. Developed through a $2 million contract awarded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) / Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR), TrialMatch brings clinical trial discovery directly into the physician workflow. 

Clinical trial enrollment remains a persistent challenge in oncology. Approximately 20% of trials close prematurely due to insufficient enrollment, while 93% of adults with cancer never participate in a clinical trial. Eligible patients may exist, but identifying appropriate trials often requires physicians to navigate complex eligibility criteria and trial registries designed primarily for researchers rather than practicing physicians.

TrialMatch addresses both sides of this challenge: helping oncologists find relevant trials for their patients, and helping trials find the physicians already caring for potentially eligible patients.

Through Mednet AI, Mednet's clinical assistant, oncologists can describe a patient profile in natural language and identify open trials matched on factors including diagnosis, stage, biomarkers, and location. Results include match rationales and enrollment links, helping physicians quickly evaluate potential opportunities without leaving their clinical workflow.

TrialMatch also works inside Mednet's physician community, where oncologists are already asking questions, discussing challenging cases, and sharing clinical experience with peers. There, TrialMatch surfaces enrolling trials within the 22,000+ conversations where physicians are already seeking guidance.

"Finding the right clinical trial shouldn't require physicians to step away from patient care and search through multiple databases," said Nadine Housri, MD, Co-founder and Chief Medical Officer of Mednet. "But discovery is only one part of the challenge. Physicians need easier ways to identify appropriate trials for their patients, and trials need better ways to reach the clinicians caring for those patients. TrialMatch brings both sides together by making clinical trial discovery part of the everyday practice of medicine."

More than 45,000 physicians across 23 specialties use Mednet to discuss complex clinical questions, share insights, and learn from one another's experience.

Beyond supporting the development of TrialMatch, the NCI SBIR/STTR contract also funds a prospective evaluation of the tool in collaboration with the SWOG Cancer Research Network, one of five adult cooperative groups within the NCI-sponsored National Clinical Trials Network (NCTN). The study will evaluate whether AI-assisted trial matching increases physician awareness of clinical trials and ultimately improves patient enrollment. SWOG has led many of oncology's most influential practice-changing clinical trials over the past several decades, and the collaboration brings SWOG's longstanding commitment to scientific rigor and evidence-based evaluation to the development and validation of TrialMatch.

TrialMatch is available now at no cost to oncologists through Mednet AI and across Mednet's physician community.

This project has been funded in whole or in part with Federal funds from the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, under Contract No. 75N91024C00071.

About Mednet

Mednet is one of the nation's largest physician-only communities, where more than 45,000 physicians across 23 specialties share clinical insights, discuss challenging cases, and learn from one another's experience. Through Mednet AI and other clinical tools, Mednet helps physicians find answers grounded in both the latest medical evidence and the collective expertise of practicing clinicians.

Media Contact

Sam Laber, Head of Marketing
Mednet
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SOURCE Mednet, Inc.