This groundbreaking clinical trial search tool will empower individuals to search in Spanish for type 1 diabetes (T1D) studies, and expand research participation opportunities for Spanish-speaking individuals.
MIAMI and SAN MATEO, Calif. and NEW YORK, Sept. 7, 2023 — Antidote Technologies (“Antidote”), a patient-centric digital engagement company focused on connecting patients with clinical research, today announced a collaboration with Beyond Type 1 and Breakthrough T1D, two of the most prominent nonprofits in the diabetes research space. This collaboration leverages Antidote’s best-in-class clinical trial search technology, Antidote Match™, to integrate a Spanish user flow on the organizations’ websites, aiming to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion in diabetes research.
The United States is the world’s second-largest Spanish-speaking country, and people of a Hispanic background comprise around 18% of the U.S. population. Despite this, less than 8% of all clinical trial participants identify as Hispanic. Notably, despite T1D being less prevalent than type 2 diabetes overall, new research suggests that Hispanic American youth are diagnosed with T1D more often than T2D. Additionally, Hispanic and Latino adults have higher rates of diabetes-related kidney failure and vision loss than White adults. Providing these individuals with new and better diabetes treatment options is vital, but that is only possible when the research taking place is reflective of real-world patient populations.
Through the collaboration with Beyond Type 1 and Breakthrough T1D, Antidote Match™ is now accessible to a larger audience. This breakthrough has the potential to increase trial participation, improve diversity, and foster research findings that are more applicable to individuals in the real world.
“We’re excited to partner with Breakthrough T1D and Antidote to provide this critical resource for our community, which includes roughly half a million Spanish speakers,” said Beyond Type 1’s VP of Community Programs and Hispanic Relations Mariana Gomez. “At Beyond Type 1, we believe language should never be a barrier that keeps individuals from accessing life-saving diabetes information and tools, and that includes access to information about clinical trials that may be available to them.”
At the time of writing, there are more than 400 type 1 diabetes clinical trials currently looking for patients in the United States, which would necessitate the participation of 2.14 million patients to be fully enrolled. Through the collaboration with Beyond Type 1 and Breakthrough T1D, Antidote Match™ is now accessible to a larger audience. This breakthrough has the potential to increase trial participation, improve diversity, and foster research findings that are more applicable to individuals in the real world. Patients and caregivers can now visit BeyondType1.org, JDRF.org, and other patient advocacy websites that host Antidote Match™ to choose between an English or Spanish version of the journey when searching for T1D clinical trials. By answering a few health-related questions, they can be matched to trials and view results in their preferred language, opening up new opportunities for Spanish-speaking individuals to engage in diabetes research.
“Advancing care technology and developing treatments and cures through research that will work for everyone living with type 1 diabetes is a top priority for Breakthrough T1D. This research is not possible without broad and diverse participation in clinical trials,” said Anastasia Albanese-O’Neill, Ph.D., Director of Community Screening and Clinical Trials Education for Breakthrough T1D. “Integrating Spanish into Antidote Match™ will allow more people to access this clinical trials search engine in their preferred language. This promises to make the platform more inclusive and equitable and increases the likelihood of reaching more members of the type 1 diabetes community.”
The lack of diversity among clinical trial participants has been a long-standing issue in medical research, with well-documented evidence showing that underrepresentation at the study level can lead to inferior health outcomes. In 2022, the FDA took a significant step by issuing guidance to drug, biologic, and medical device manufacturers, urging them to improve the enrollment of participants from underrepresented racial and ethnic populations into clinical trials. The aim of this guidance is to facilitate the development of medications and treatments that are not only effective but also applicable to a broader spectrum of patient populations.
Grace McElroy, VP of Patient Experience & Partnerships at Antidote, expressed Antidote’s commitment to championing the cause of increasing representation in clinical trials. “By breaking down the language barrier for Spanish-speaking patients and caregivers, we aim to connect even more patients with research opportunities that best suit their needs”, she said. “Together, with support from our partners like Breakthrough T1D and Beyond Type 1, we will offer Spanish search capability across more therapeutic condition areas, especially those that disproportionally impact Hispanic and Latino individuals.”
About Antidote Technologies
Antidote Technologies is a digital health company with a mission to enable faster medical innovation by transforming how sponsors and patients connect. Our precision recruitment approach meets patients where they are, leading to high-quality referrals, reduced site burden, and efficient enrollment. This is made possible by a unique high-tech, high-touch approach, and the largest global partnership network of its kind. We provide patient-centric clinical search technology to hundreds of patient advocacy groups and research foundations, at no cost, to advance medical breakthroughs and increase clinical trial participation. Antidote, formerly known as TrialReach, is based in the US and the UK. For more information, please visit https://www.antidote.me.
About Beyond Type 1
Beyond Type 1 is a global nonprofit dedicated to the diabetes community. We serve the largest digital audience of any diabetes nonprofit, and our mission is to help people living with diabetes to stay alive and thrive. Through peer support programs, global campaigns and digital platforms, Beyond Type 1 is uniting the global diabetes community—across all types—helping to change what it means to live with chronic illness.
About Breakthrough T1D
JDRF’s mission is to accelerate life-changing breakthroughs to cure, prevent and treat T1D and its complications. To accomplish this, Breakthrough T1D has invested more than $2.5 billion in research funding since our inception. We are an organization built on a grassroots model of people connecting in their local communities, collaborating regionally and globally for efficiency and broader fundraising impact, and uniting on a global stage to pool resources, passion, and energy. We collaborate with academic institutions, policymakers, and corporate and industry partners to develop and deliver a pipeline of innovative therapies to people living with T1D. Our staff and volunteers throughout the United States and our five international affiliates are dedicated to advocacy, community engagement, and our vision of a world without T1D. For more information, please visit jdrf.org or follow us on Twitter (@JDRF), Facebook (@myjdrf), and Instagram (@jdrfhq).
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1. https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2017/p0412-diabtes-rates.html
2. https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/search?cond=type%201%20diabetes&aggFilters=status:rec
