Everything is possible. If you have the will, there is always a way. However, it would be best if you accepted at the onset that chasing possibility into something deemed impossible means dealing with challenges you’ve never even dreamt of.

Clinical drug development is a field full of finding pins of possibilities in the haystacks of impossibilities. Then there is the biggest problem—how to get patients into a suitable clinical trial, which the patients or their doctors are unaware of.

Finding solutions to complex challenges can be difficult. However, with the right leadership, anything is possible. Imagine having a global visionary leader by your side, someone with the expertise and vision of Nuria Coll Bastus. Together, you could achieve remarkable things.

In fact, Nuria has already solved the problem and found the perfect solution: Clinical Net, a user-friendly digital portal that puts all the clinical trials happening worldwide in one place, where anyone (patients, families, medical teams) can match and connect to the most suitable clinical trial within five minutes at no cost.

The Tale of Inception

Nuria’s noble journey began by finding out the depth of the problem above. After completing her PhD and postdoctoral research, she transitioned into the pharmaceutical industry, where she gained valuable experience working with clinical trials. There, she quickly identified a major bottleneck in the field: frequent delays caused by a low number of participants. This lack of participation hampered data collection, ultimately stalling drug approval timelines.

Approximately 80% of clinical trials faced delays due to recruitment challenges. Nuria’s role involved supporting clinical trial sites in attracting more patients. However, compliance issues, logistical hurdles and networking difficulties made this a complex task.

Meanwhile, Nuria’s network frequently reached out for help finding clinical trials for serious, often incurable conditions. This need contrasted with surveys indicating that 65% of people were willing to participate in trials. Despite this willingness, under-enrollment remained a persistent problem.

During her MBA program (which she completed alongside her full-time job), she explored this issue as a case study. Her market research revealed that oncologists rarely had time to search for suitable clinical trials for their patients, as platforms like clinicaltrials.gov often required hours of searching to identify relevant options.

As a consequence, patients were typically only referred to trials their doctors knew about through personal connections—this significantly limited patient enrollment within clinical trials.

When patients discussed their attempts to find clinical trials, they revealed that databases like clinicaltrials.gov are written in technical jargon and are not user-friendly, making it difficult even for doctors to navigate. This complexity makes it nearly impossible for patients to understand or find relevant trials. Other databases using lay language are often limited to specific regions or diseases, forcing patients to sift through multiple sites. Additionally, most of these platforms do not facilitate contact with the trial teams. This complexity is a major barrier to patient enrollment in clinical trials.

Through market research, Nuria realized that a simple, user-friendly solution was needed—one where anyone, be it patients, families, or doctors, could easily find and directly connect with suitable clinical trials worldwide. This envisioned solution would use lay language, be accessible to people of all ages, and facilitate direct communication with trial teams and their local medical team for further information and enrollment.

While developing this idea during her MBA, an angel investor in London saw its potential and offered to fund the project if Nuria left her pharmaceutical job to build the platform. “Accepting the offer in 2021, I resigned and began working on Clinical Net in early 2022, marking the inception of this transformative initiative.”

Conquering the Mountains of Challenges – The Guiding Philosophy

Embarking on the creation of Clinical Net, Nuria, the Founder & CEO, and her team were initially perplexed as to why such a platform didn’t exist, given its seemingly straightforward concept. However, as they delved into the project, the complexity and challenges of developing a comprehensive clinical trial platform became evident. The integration of advanced technology and AI was not as simple as anticipated. “Our journey has been defined by resilience, continuous innovation, and a commitment to solving intricate problems through research and development,” says Nuria.

One of the pivotal philosophies of Clinical Net is resilience. She continues, “We faced numerous obstacles that required us to develop new algorithms, integrate, and keep updating cutting-edge advancements like large language models (LLMs) into our platform.” This effort has been crucial for refining the match between clinical trials and patients. Their approach involves a sophisticated orchestration of various models to handle data intricately, far beyond the capabilities of a single, off-the-shelf AI solution. “Persistence has been vital; without it, we would have succumbed to the challenges within the initial months,” reveals Nuria.

The development process wasn’t without significant hurdles, including financial constraints and technical difficulties. The driving force behind their perseverance was understanding the impact Clinical Net could have on improving lives by facilitating access to life-saving drugs and enhancing the efficiency of drug development. “This mission has motivated us to continue working, knowing that each day of progress brings us closer to helping more individuals.”

At Clinical Net, their dedication goes beyond financial gain. Nuria shares, “We aim to recruit team members who share our commitment to enhancing people’s quality of life and advancing global healthcare.” This philosophy ensures that our work is driven by a genuine desire to make a difference rather than simply earning a paycheck. Our collective goal is to revolutionize the accessibility and effectiveness of clinical trials, ultimately contributing to a healthier world.

The Distinctive Outcome – A Perfect Portal

By integrating cutting-edge AI, LLMs, and an orchestrated set of complex algorithms with Clinical Net, Nuria has revolutionized the process of structuring clinical trial information globally. Without these advanced technologies, the task would be insurmountable if attempted manually, especially when managing data for over 74,000 open clinical trials, reveals Nuria. Unlike other companies operating manually or relying on limited trial datasets, Clinical Net’s platform consolidates all clinical trials into a user-friendly interface, enabling rapid and efficient matching.

Patients and families, often overwhelmed and emotionally strained by serious diagnoses, cannot sift through multiple websites and databases. Clinical Net’s solution addresses this by offering a centralized platform that quickly matches users with the most suitable clinical trials within minutes, which traditionally takes hours on other platforms. This streamlined approach not only provides a comprehensive list of trials but also directly connects patients with trial sites, facilitating immediate engagement.

Clinical Net’s uniqueness lies in its ability to simultaneously match patients to thousands of clinical trials, unlike other companies that slowly match patients one trial at a time using medical records of a given number of hospitals. Thus, efficiency smoothens the user experience, offering an opportunity for anyone, regardless of the hospital they go to, to enter a clinical trial. This accelerates the initiation of trial processes, distinguishing Clinical Net as a leader in the field.

Moreover, Clinical Net’s impact extends beyond individual patient care to the broader realm of drug development. Pharmaceutical companies, which typically face years of delays due to participant shortages, can expedite the introduction of new treatments by up to five years using this platform.

Thus, Clinical Net is transforming patient access to clinical trials and significantly advancing the speed and efficacy of drug development. By delivering better drugs to market more quickly, Clinical Net ultimately contributes to the global healthcare landscape.

Striking the Balance

Nuria emphasizes prioritizing tasks through focused sprints to ensure maximum customer satisfaction. As a growing company with limited resources, they prioritize the most critical aspects that will enhance user experience. They consistently place customer satisfaction at the forefront, addressing user needs promptly and effectively. Nuria values feedback, actively engaging with users to resolve issues and reassure them that their concerns are heard and addressed, maintaining a strong commitment to customer satisfaction and continuous improvement.

The Leadership of a Global Visionary

Also, over the past two years, Nuria has profoundly evolved as a leader by embracing the principle that each individual on her team is unique, with different motivations and personalities. Nuria fosters a motivated and resilient team by focusing on solutions rather than mistakes. Her approach to leadership includes practicing “appropriate transparency,” where she shares enough information to keep her team informed and motivated without causing unnecessary panic or discomfort with uncertainties. This balance ensures that her team understands the purpose behind their tasks, sees the value in their work, and remains driven to excel, particularly in interconnected fields like software development and technology.

Nuria’s leadership style also involves regularly communicating the impact of her team’s work. After each significant milestone or event, she summarizes the outcomes, highlighting the benefits to both the people served and the business’s growth. By doing so, she reinforces the value of their contributions and the long-term consequences of their efforts. This approach keeps the team engaged and motivated and instils a sense of purpose and accomplishment. Nuria’s ability to maintain this delicate balance of transparency, respect, and focus on solutions has made her a visionary leader, driving sustained success and innovation within her organization.

Leading a League

Nuria emphasizes fostering a learning environment within her team, leveraging the latest technologies and encouraging continuous skill development. She believes in building the team based on talent and the ability to learn rather than just existing knowledge. Transparency and open involvement are key principles, allowing team members to engage in areas they are passionate about and contribute more effectively. The team frequently collaborates with new contractors and organizations, gaining new experiences and skills, which are then shared to enhance collective expertise and capability.

Advising Aspirants

Nuria advises staying abreast of the latest developments in the field, emphasizing the importance of continuous learning and networking within the innovation community. She suggests building connections and regularly engaging with industry peers to stay informed and gain valuable insights. Nuria encourages aspiring professionals to allocate time and resources to test new technologies and approaches, even with a defined strategy, to ensure they remain competitive. She highlights the necessity of maintaining a flexible mindset to adapt to changes and improve upon existing solutions, as this adaptability is crucial for thriving in a rapidly advancing business arena.

Nuria underscores the need to set aside time to think critically and reflect on current practices and potential improvements. She acknowledges the challenge for small companies where individuals often wear multiple hats, making it difficult to find time for strategic thinking. However, she emphasizes that taking this time is essential to innovate effectively and stay ahead of competitors. By allowing themselves moments for thoughtful consideration, professionals can better evaluate their actions and explore more efficient ways of achieving their goals.

A Clinically Set Noble Global Vision

Nuria envisions refining and expanding Clinical Net over the next few years to enhance user experience and broaden its global reach. With the third version of the platform already operational and successful, the focus will be on continuous improvement, including translating the platform into multiple languages to cater to a wider international audience. The strategic plan includes aggressive promotion in key markets such as Europe, the UK, and the US. Clinical Net initially aims to establish a strong presence among oncology professionals, with future expansion into other medical fields.

Over the next two years, the emphasis will shift towards promoting the platform to increase visibility and generate revenue from pharmaceutical companies. Positive feedback received from patients, charities, doctors, and pharmaceutical entities during initial awareness campaigns has reinforced the potential for Clinical Net to transform how clinical trials are accessed and conducted globally. By positioning itself as a leader in facilitating clinical trial access and accelerating recruitment processes, Clinical Net aims to profoundly impact global healthcare and pharmaceutical innovation.