Nexus Oncology and Datatrial: A Partnership that Works

As a niche clinical research organization providing specialized services to biopharmaceutical companies that are developing new cancer treatments, Nexus Oncology has extensive experience in the design and implementation of clinical trials. However, Nexus was tasked with finding a data management partner that understood its needs and could match its emphasis on service quality. Making that objective more difficult was the fact that Nexus preferred a similar sized data management provider with a strong background in oncology. Of particular importance to Nexus was finding a partner that shared the same commitment to data integrity and accuracy.

In 2004, Nexus found a strong match with Datatrial Ltd. Powered by the understanding that every trial is unique and every company has specific processes, Datatrial provides its customers complete flexibility in data collection methods and integration options. The company also offers the seamless global coverage necessary to achieve aggressive timelines and guarantee data is presented how clients want it, while meeting quality assurance and security requirements. These core values, combined with a shared dedication to service and quality, spoke directly to Nexus’s ongoing needs.

Responsive, Team-Oriented Approach Achieves Common Ground, Shared Goals
Boasting significant, proven experience in the oncology sector, Datatrial formed a strong bond with Nexus, essentially serving as their data management department. Datatrial became a seamless extension of Nexus’s team, broadening Nexus’s scope of resources and support.

Datatrial made it a vital point to embark on the process of understanding Nexus’s corporate culture, learning its role within the clinical CRO industry and identifying the company’s true needs. Armed with this essential knowledge about the Nexus way of doing business, Datatrial cohesively melded into Nexus’s unique corporate structure. With a focus on integrated communication at multiple levels within the organizations, regular project reviews and an adaptive approach to ever-changing project needs, the partners essentially combined to operate as a single entity to support customers, making it easy for those clients to do business with both Nexus and Datatrial.  In addition to fulfilling consulting and cross-training roles to assist Nexus in bringing electronic data capture functionality into their suite of services, Datatrial aligned with Nexus to work with dedicated study teams

Reduction in Queries
Datatrial, through consistent data review, was able to spot trends in CRF completion and communicated identified issues back to Nexus where these were resolved quickly. This prevented the issuance of additional queries and enabled validation refinement to avoid unnecessary queries.

Fewer Change Orders
Through upfront collaboration and early study design discussions, Nexus and Datatrial
produced well-designed CRFs that enabled ease of use by sites and promoted further protocol compliance. This early collaboration led to fewer change orders as the CRFs required less modification through the duration of the study.

Meeting Timelines
Datatrial and Nexus have perfected their partnership and this strong working relationship has led to increased efficiency of study start-up, meeting timelines as well as their ability to stay on budget. What makes this relationship work so well are integrated study teams that acknowledge the expertise that each group brings to each clinical program. “Because both companies took the time to understand and get to know each other so well, we were able to meet deadlines and exceed expectations together,” said Clare Wareing, founder and managing director of Nexus Oncology. “That familiarity has allowed Datatrial to help us stay on budget and on time while delivering studies according to specifications.”

Shared Expertise, Becoming Experts at Working Together Leads to Long-Term Success
Nexus and Datatrial have established a solid working relationship by recognizing the expertise that each possesses and knowing when to draw on one another’s strengths. This shared expertise has enhanced both companies’ abilities to identify and implement work practices that serve the best interest of their shared customers. By fitting into the way Nexus prefers to work instead of imposing its own processes, Datatrial teamed with Nexus to create a partnership that mutually benefited both parties—and their clients—and set the stage for a long-term relationship. The success of the initial shared projects has allowed the Nexus-Datatrial relationship to evolve over time, leading to shared opportunities, ongoing study projects and other initiatives geared toward serving the pharmaceutical industry.

“The values that our two companies share—focusing on service and quality, embracing our partners’ corporate philosophies, and leveraging our expertise to ensure customer success first and foremost—have helped us create a mutually beneficial strategic partnership,” said  Wareing. “Our successful collaborations to date have allowed that partnership to progress naturally, and our relationship with Datatrial will help to ensure that Nexus Oncology continues to successfully manage and deliver its research well into the future.”