Synopsis
Researchers at IIT Guwahati have developed an innovative multi-stage clinical trial method that personalizes medical care by adapting treatment plans in real-time, enhancing patient outcomes and engagement through tailored healthcare solutions.Key Takeaways
- Innovative multi-stage clinical trial method
- Real-time treatment plan adaptation
- Dynamic Treatment Regimes (DTRs)
- Improved patient engagement
- Potential for public health interventions
Guwahati, February 3 (NationPress) Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, in partnership with prominent global institutions, have created a groundbreaking multi-stage clinical trial methodology that aims to transform personalised medical care.
This state-of-the-art approach modifies treatment strategies in real-time based on each patient's distinctive responses during trials, facilitating highly customized and effective healthcare solutions.
The research team, which includes members from Duke-NUS Medical School, the National University of Singapore, and the University of Michigan, focused on Dynamic Treatment Regimes (DTRs) developed through Sequential Multiple Assignment Randomised Trials (SMARTs).
These frameworks collectively address the vital challenge of optimizing treatment plans, a series of treatments, for patients with diverse responses to therapies over time.
DTRs serve as advanced decision-making rules that adjust treatments dynamically as a patient's condition progresses. For instance, if a diabetes patient does not respond well to an initial medication, the DTR could suggest changing medications or combining different therapies.
By integrating intermediate outcomes, such as fluctuations in blood sugar levels, DTRs transcend the one-size-fits-all approach, customizing care to individual progress and requirements, as explained by the research team in their publication in the prestigious journal Biometrics.
The experts emphasized that multi-stage clinical trials are crucial for crafting effective DTRs, and the SMART methodology allows researchers to evaluate various treatment sequences to discover the optimal fit for each patient.
In contrast to conventional trials, SMART incorporates multiple treatment stages, wherein patients are reassigned based on their reactions to previous interventions.
Traditional SMART trials distribute patients across treatment arms in equal proportions, even when some therapies demonstrate lower effectiveness, based on interim data. This frequently results in unnecessary treatment failures.
“Adaptive designs like this would promote greater patient involvement in clinical trials such as SMART. When patients realize they are receiving treatments tailored to their specific needs, they are more likely to remain engaged,” stated Dr. Palash Ghosh, Assistant Professor, Department of Mathematics, IIT Guwahati.
Ghosh also mentioned that this approach holds significant promise for public health initiatives, such as customizing substance abuse recovery programs to meet individual needs, as well as for managing other chronic diseases.
