Mednet has launched TrialMatch, a clinical trial discovery tool designed to help oncologists identify relevant cancer trials in minutes. 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 into the physician workflow
Clinical trial enrollment is still a challenge in oncology. 20% of trials close prematurely due to insufficient enrollment, while 93% of adults with cancer never participate in a clinical trial. Eligible patients exist, but identifying appropriate trials requires physicians to navigate complex eligibility criteria and trial registries designed for researchers instead of practising physicians.
TrialMatch addresses both sides of this challenge: enabling oncologists to find relevant trials for their patients, and helping trials find the physicians already caring for potentially eligible patients.
Using Mednet AI, Mednet’s clinical assistant, oncologists can describe a patient profile in natural language and identify open trials matched on factors such as diagnosis, stage, biomarkers, and location. Results include match rationales and enrollment links, helping physicians evaluate potential opportunities without leaving their clinical workflow.
TrialMatch also operates within Mednet’s physician community, where oncologists ask questions, discuss challenging cases, and share clinical experience with peers. There, TrialMatch surfaces enrolling trials within the 22,000+ conversations where physicians are seeking guidance.
Nadine Housri, MD, co-founder and chief medical officer of Mednet, said, “Finding the right clinical trial shouldn’t require physicians to step away from patient care and search through multiple databases. 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.”
Over 45,000 physicians across 23 specialities use Mednet to discuss complex clinical questions, share insights, and learn from each other’s experience.
In addition to supporting the development of TrialMatch, the NCI SBIR/STTR contract funds a prospective evaluation of the tool in collaboration with the SWOG Cancer Research Network, one of five adult cooperative groups in the NCI-sponsored National Clinical Trials Network (NCTN).
The study will examine 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 commitment to scientific rigour 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.
