The Future of Clinical Research
How two minority-owned companies are disrupting clinical research to ensure ethnic minorities and underserved communities are included
Huntsville, AL –The problem was personal to Acclinate Genetics’ co-founders. Both had experienced life events that lead them to begin asking questions about their health. That curiosity revealed a gap in genetic research. Their ethnic group simply was not included.
Acclinate, like many startups, was founded based on a personal problem proven to be a much larger problem. The same goes for Southlake, Texas startup, Reveles. Like Acclinate, Reveles is working to close the diversity gap in clinical trials by increasing awareness and expanding access with in-home clinical trial support for rare disease research.
“Engagement and education are two focus areas for Acclinate,” said co-founder and CEO, Del Smith. “Through storytelling and sharing personal journeys, we want to build a community of individuals who are, first, passionate about health and changing the narrative for minority populations.”
In the past few months, Acclinate has been researching and planning the launch of their digital community ‘Now Included.’ Their research has led them to like-minded entrepreneurs including R’Kes Starling, Founder and CEO of Reveles.
“There are a number of factors associated with health disparities, Acclinate and Reveles are exclusively focused on one piece of the puzzle, by addressing access with decentralized clinical trials,” said R’Kes Starling. “We aim to support the researchers, scientists, and biotech companies to ensure drug discovery and drug efficacy includes all people.”
To tackle this problem, Acclinate and Reveles are able to directly address several of the major barriers preventing diversity in clinical research and how they could overcome those barriers. Barriers such as the lack of awareness, access to information from trusted sources of the same ethnic background, reliable transportation, geographical location, and comorbidities and age- related issues.
“Connecting and collaborating with passionate individuals like Starling fuels our desire to impact change,” said Smith. “We’re working to grow our digital community and together, with organizations such as Reveles, we can begin to expand minority representation in clinical trials. Perhaps the greater accomplishment involves empowering our community to take control of their health and to put their health first.”
Early access to Now Included, powered by Acclinate, is available and in the coming months, Acclinate will announce a soft launch to begin sharing stories, information, and community features.
“Our combined health-first mentality will propel our communities forward,” added Starling. “By spreading this message more broadly we will encourage and empower our racial and ethnic minorities to participate by sharing their story through Now Included or enrolling in a clinical trial. The time is now.”
About Acclincate Genetics: Acclinate Genetics is a healthcare solutions provider integrating culture and technology to give commercial and government clients analytical healthcare insights. Our experts research, design, and implement solutions in the areas of healthcare analytics and participant engagement for genomic research and clinical trials. Located in HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Acclinate is a Veteran and Minority Owned Small Business located in an Opportunity Zone.
Learn more at acclinategenetics.com. Connect on LinkedIn.
About Reveles: Reveles Clinical Services, is a purposeful, technology-enabled clinical research company that provides decentralized, in-home clinical trials support and services. They are directly addressing the major challenges with clinical trial participation with ethnic minorities and underserved communities by building awareness, expanding access, and fostering trust. Located in Southlake, Texas, Reveles is a Minority Owned Small Business. Learn more at revelesclinical.com. Connect on LinkedIn.
