By Clinical Research News Staff 

March 11, 2021 | Timed to coincide with the launch of last week’s Summit for Clinical Ops Executives (SCOPE), Shimmer Research announced the first line extension for its Verisense wearable sensing platform for clinical trials. Verisense Pulse+ expands the capabilities of the wrist-worn platform to the measurement of participants’ heart rate, oxygen saturation, and emotional response in addition to their activity and sleep levels.

Heart rate is monitored by a photoplethysmogram sensor using light absorption to measure changes in participant capillary blood volume. A galvanic skin response (GSR) sensor measures changes in sweat gland activity, which can be used to assess participants’ level of psychological and emotional responses such as arousal and stress. GSR is employed in psychology clinical research and biofeedback as well as some clinical applications, including epilepsy.

Three exhibiting companies at SCOPE are themselves newly configured because of acquisition. Most recently, ICON announced its purchase of exhibitor PRA Heath Sciences, bringing together two innovative and growing organizations with similar cultures and a shared focus on high quality and efficient clinical trial execution.

WCG also recently acquired Trifecta Clinical, whose technology-enabled clinical trial solutions include the site communication platform InvestigatorSpace, virtual training programs and safety documentation services. The move expands the range of specialized services and solutions WCG offers and enhances the ability to connect sites, sponsors and CROs across the clinical trials ecosystem.

Last year’s purchase of TrialScope by Pharma Intelligence was additional news of note at SCOPE. The TrialScope Transparency Cloud is used by most of the world’s top clinical trial sponsors to centralize, structure and activate study information. Moderna also utilized TrialScope Connect—an industry-first patient referral collective that connects sponsors and clinical trial recruitment partners to rapidly find, screen and enroll clinical trial participants—for its phase 3 COVID-19 vaccine study.

It was only two months ago that exhibitor Parexel International completed separation of its Parexel Informatics and Medical Imaging business, now known as Calyx. Parexel will continue to leverage Calyx’s medical imaging, clinical trial management systems, electronic data capture, interactive response technology, and regulatory information management solutions as part of the company’s clinical development offerings.

SimuLyve International also had reason to brag in its virtual booth after winning Best Web Documentary at the 2020 Cannes Corporate Film Festival with its short film produced for Novartis, “Looking Inward,” about a multiple sclerosis patient journey. In addition to filmmaking, SimuLyve manages virtual meetings and has an Internet Television Network that simulates face-to-face meetings.