LifeSci Talks

Are the COA Instruments we've relied on for decades still measuring what matters to patients today? In this episode, Mark Wade sits down with Kathrin Fischer PhD, Patient-Centered Outcome Strategy Lead at Boehringer Ingelheim and ISOQOL Director-at-Large Term: 2024 – 2027, to challenge some long-held assumptions in the COA space. They examine why some legacy instruments were built for a different era, what gets lost when items are stitched together from multiple measures, and whether computer adaptive testing could finally solve the patient burden problem. Kathrin also shares why cultural and regional bias in instrument design deserves more scrutiny, and where she'd point her magic wand if she could change one thing about the future of COA. 

In this episode of LifeSci Talks, Mark Wade, Global Practice Leader at TransPerfect Life Sciences, sits down with Edwin Cohen, Principal Consultant at C&Flow, to talk about eConsent adoption in clinical trials. They discuss the research behind why animated, electronic consent is better perceived by patients, the fragmented technology landscape sites have to navigate, the plain-language and health-literacy challenges baked into consent forms, and the timeline and budget pressures that keep eConsent from being standard practice. They also cover why pediatric and rare disease studies could be the fastest path to wider adoption, and how reconsent, an often-overlooked, recurring part of the process, is particularly well suited to going digital.

In this episode of LifeSci Talks, Mark Wade, Global Practice Leader at TransPerfect Life Sciences, sits down with RJ Wirth, CEO and Consulting Psychometrician at Vector Psychometric Group, to talk about why the measures we rely on are living things rather than fixed artifacts. The two discuss why keeping a rigorous measure is often harder than building it in the first place, walk through why studies still run on out-of-date versions and translations, and reflect on what happens when one of these unvalidated instruments is used in real-world applications. Tune in to hear why the same words on a page can mean something different a decade later, and how thoughtful measurement keeps instruments rigorous, relevant, and ready for whatever comes next, AI included.

In this episode of LifeSci Talks, Mark Wade, Global Practice Leader at TransPerfect Life Sciences, sits down with Farrell Healion, Founder and Principal Consultant at OptiTrial, to explore why study design is so often the overlooked "missing link" in clinical development and where real flexibility and patient centricity live. Together, they unpack the gap between what a protocol asks for and how it gets delivered, the trouble with arbitrary First Patient In (FPI) dates and the timeline pressure that forces teams to cut corners, and the creep of unnecessary measures and patient burden that undermines data quality. They also dig into smarter, more patient-centric approaches, from item libraries and computer adaptive testing to disease-specific instrument selection, and the hidden risks of the "copy-and-paste" protocol.

In this episode of LifeSci Talks, Mark Wade, Global Practice Leader at TransPerfect Life Sciences, sits down with Stacie Hudgens, Chief Scientific and Strategy Officer at Clinical Outcome Solutions, to discuss whether the field of clinical outcome assessment has started sacrificing “good for perfect.” Together, they explore the role of regulatory guidance and clinical development timelines, specifically the role of measurement science in already tight development timelines, when to modify a legacy instrument versus build something new, and why getting measurement scientists involved early is the key to a successful COA strategy.

In this episode of LifeSci Talks, Mark Wade, Global Practice Leader at TransPerfect Life Sciences, sits down with Lina Eliasson PhD CPsycho, Founding Partner at Sprout Health Solutions, to discuss how pharma companies of all sizes can build a comprehensive, patient-centric evidence strategy that spans the entire drug development pathway. Together, they examine the growing role of COA and in-study interviews in regulatory decision-making, the practical barriers to earlier patient engagement. They explore how eCOA providers could add greater value by getting involved long before a pivotal trial, and a focus on why the choice of data capture modality matters far more than the industry currently recognizes. 

In this episode of LifeSci Talks, Mark Wade, Global Practice Leader & COA SME at TransPerfect Life Sciences, is joined by Katja Rudell, VP of Patient-Centered Outcomes at Kielo Research, to take a behind-the-scenes look at the reality of patient-centered instrument development. They discuss diaries and quality of life tools, rare disease challenges, and proxy reporting, as well as the tradeoffs that can often occur in balancing regulatory rigor, patient burden, and realistic instrument usability. Listen in to hear why multiple instruments for the same disease can often create not only frustration for patients, but can also overburden them simultaneously. The episode will share suggestions as to how study teams can design smarter, more patient-centered measurement strategies.

In this episode of LifeSci Talks, Mark Wade, Global Practice Leader at TransPerfect Life Sciences, sits down with Alice Biggane, Outcomes Innovation and Research Lead at Pfizer UK, to discuss how various PRO measures inform and impact reimbursement decisions for HTA driven markets.  Together they unpack what data sources and methods exist for the quantification and understanding of HRQoL for cost-effectiveness decision making and the complex interplay between the need to reduce burden and increase transparency through standardization, while maintaining the crucial and nuanced balance of different stakeholder requirements. Tune in to learn how leading organizations are working to build more inclusive, efficient, and patient-focused clinical trials, and accelerating patient-access to new health technologies.

In this episode of LifeSci Talks, Mark Wade, Global Practice Leader at TransPerfect Life Sciences, is joined by Jonathan Norman, Director of Translation and Localization at YPrime, for an in-depth discussion on the realities of eCOA libraries. Together, they explore why “libraries” are more accurately described as asset repositories, the conditions under which reuse can meaningfully accelerate study timelines, and the limitations that prevent them from being a universal solution. The conversation highlights both the efficiencies and challenges of reuse, providing clarity on how sponsors and providers can better align expectations in clinical trial execution.

In this tech-forward episode of LifeSci Talks, Mark Wade, Global Practice Leader at TransPerfect Life Sciences, welcomes Indira Jain-Figueroa, Product Director at Evinova, for a deep dive into the ever-evolving landscape of eCOA development. Covering everything from cross-platform development, backups, and emulator use to the future role of AI in reporting, this conversation highlights how innovation can improve both user experience and study efficiency in clinical trials.