resTORbio and TrialSpark collaborate to investigate RTB-101 for COVID-19 on the Project Covalence platform

- TrialSpark's integrated tech platform and trial model will enable resTORbio to accelerate their clinical trials of RTB-101 for COVID-19 in community/outpatient settings.

News provided by

TrialSpark

Jul 28, 2020, 08:45 ET

NEW YORK, July 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- TrialSpark, a tech-enabled drug development partner committed to improving the speed, quality, and innovation of clinical trials, today announced a collaboration with resTORbio, Inc. (Nasdaq: TORC). resTORbio is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing innovative medicines that target the biology of aging to treat aging-related diseases.

resTORbio is the recipient of an NIA grant to investigate RTB-101 against COVID-19 outside the hospital in a community study. Previous RTB-101 clinical studies in similar patient populations have offered encouraging respiratory function efficacy data with a clean safety profile, offering a promising option for patients. The study will assess RTB-101's efficacy in preventing symptom development and downstream hospitalizations among positive, asymptomatic patients as well as any cohabitants of patients diagnosed with COVID-19.

"We've been encouraged by initial results for drugs in the hospitalized, inpatient setting, but there is still a great need for products to reduce the burden of disease in the community," said Joan Mannick, MD, Chief Medical Officer at resTORbio. "TrialSpark's Project Covalence platform will allow us to rapidly initiate our study while limiting the potential exposure for patients while they are sheltering in place. Further, TrialSpark's end-to-end technology stack, which seamlessly integrates eConsent, eSource, EDC, Payments, and ePRO replaces several point solutions that we had utilized previously."

TrialSpark's Project Covalence platform, which launched on June 16, is a collaboration between TrialSpark, Sam Altman, and Dr. Mark Fishman. The platform was designed with programs like resTORbio's RTB-101 study in mind, where researchers and pharma companies could easily, and rapidly, test repurposed medications with promising hypotheses and signals against COVID-19 in the community setting.

"Launching trials in the midst of COVID-19 is uniquely challenging given the many logistical and operational challenges. Because our trial platform supports in-person, remote, at-home, and hybrid visits, we empower our biotech partners to ensure patient and trial continuity in this uncertain environment. We're thrilled to support biotechs like resTORbio in the fight against COVID-19. Our team is excited about the opportunity to accelerate the development of new drugs and vaccines for COVID-19 by streamlining the clinical trial process." said Ben Liu, Chief Executive Officer of TrialSpark.

The Project Covalence platform is designed to run multiple studies to validate new diagnostics, treatments, and vaccines. This is the second study being launched on the platform and we look forward to announcing others in the coming weeks and months.

About TrialSpark

TrialSpark is a technology company that runs end-to-end clinical trials as an alternative to a traditional CRO. TrialSpark partners with doctors to create trial sites within their existing practices and runs trials out of these sites using a roaming cohort of research coordinators, optimized by software, data, and technology. By creating trial sites with doctors, TrialSpark unlocks the 99% of patients who traditionally haven't been able to participate in trials, boosting recruitment rates and democratizing access. TrialSpark is backed by leading investors such as Michael Moritz, John Doerr, Thrive Capital, and Sequoia Capital.

For more information, please visit www.trialspark.com/sponsors.

About Project Covalence

Project Covalence provides the technology, clinical operations, and logistical support needed to launch and run COVID-19 clinical trials. In particular, the Project Covalence platform is optimized for community-based studies centered at the patient home or outpatient trial sites, reducing the burden on hospitals and health systems while democratizing access to research. Private and public researchers can leverage Project Covalence's shared infrastructure to rapidly launch their clinical trials using a wide array of capabilities like 21 CFR Part 11 compliant remote data collection, telemedicine, at-home testing and specimen collection, protocol design and writing, digital patient recruitment, and other needs during this unique time. For more information, please visit projectcovalence.com or contact one of our team members at https://projectcovalence.com/get-involved.

CONTACT: [email protected]

SOURCE TrialSpark