Framework Development for Remote Clinical Trials: Assembly Process Design

Abstract

Clinical trials are facing new difficulties after the COVID-19 outbreak, with enrollment decreasing by about half after January 2020. Tufts Clinical and Translational Research Center has partnered with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to develop a framework for a “clinical-trial-in-a-box” for use in fully remote clinical trials, which would reduce risk of infection due to the lack of physical contact. The goal is to increase enrollment and create a safe system in which to conduct medical research while requiring as little knowledge of technology from the participant as possible, in order to include the most potential participants and eventually expand into rural regions.

This thesis focuses on the assembly process of this framework, detailing the steps from receiving trial materials to shipping out the finished trial box. For more depth into the other aspects of this project, please refer to the other theses from the project group: Imane Ait Mbiriq, Carly Smith, and Joyce Noh.