That’s a wrap on the 2nd annual Zelta User Conference! We had a wonderful, jam-packed day-and-a-half show in Boston, where dozens of sponsors, CROs, and other organizations using Zelta came together for interactive workshops, success stories of how our platform has helped them conquer challenges, and a preview of the innovative new and planned capabilities enabled in Zelta.
Here were just a few of my favorite highlights from this year’s User Conference.
“I’ve seen a lot of improvement and advancement [in the Zelta platform] since last year. I’m very excited about what we’ve seen this year.”
– Rob Sandefur, Senior Principal Clinical Database Programmer, Lexitas Pharma Services
The heart of the User Conference was providing an in-depth, sneak preview look at our roadmap for 2024 – the features and use cases that define how Zelta is empowering our partners to navigate the complexities and challenges of modern clinical research. These include:
- Optimized design and build experiences, with an emphasis on interactive study dashboards, experience, and usability.
- More scalable, efficient, easy-to-use local labs support, providing greater control for managing labs above study level, across all studies and sites, to streamline lab information management.
- New reporting upgrades, including enhanced Study Connect dashboard, risk-based monitoring, and reports for adverse events, participant profiles, and audit trails, all within the native Zelta platform.
- Improved ePRO and eCOA capabilities for seamlessly executed decentralized and hybrid trials.
- A seamless, integrated ecosystem cultivated by out-of-the-box connections and API tools that have allowed CROs and sponsors to integrate the Zelta platform with over 35 other market-leading solutions.
But don’t think this was all just presenting slides. We got into some really engaging, thought-provoking Q&As with the audience, to help shed more light on our platform’s capabilities and give practical advice on getting the most out of Zelta. It’s this kind of engagement that you can only get in a venue like the user conference.
Some of biggest highlights were presentations from two Zelta users: SPR Therapeutics and Poseida Therapeutics.
SPR Therapeutics is a medical device company and the maker of a peripheral nerve stimulation system, SPRINT® PNS System. They have used Zelta since 2017, running seven clinical trials and executing tens of MSUs in that time. Since December 2022, we’ve worked with SPR Therapeutics to help them adopt some of the newest innovations we’ve rolled out, and in their presentation they talked about how they’re benefitting from:
- Faster build processes that enable null queries, create code lists within question builds, and save time by reusing questions and selections.
- More streamlined MSU processes so they no longer need to create new copies of studies for their MSU database and don’t need to create separate copies of every code list, page, or visit that requires updates.
- Repeating tables that are simpler to build. Now each study update no longer requires building tables on top of tables; instead, when making one update, the repeated questions are added automatically.
It was especially gratifying to hear the positive response to these new capabilities! The streamlined data entry, user-friendly interfaces, efficient clear query management, and enhanced visual appeal were all called out as highlights of SPR Therapeutics’ Zelta experience. In fact, they noted that their most recent MSU was finished two weeks ahead of schedule because of how much easier and faster Zelta had made their MSU process!
“The conference is fantastic. I attended last year and I’m equally impressed this year.”
– Katrina Riggs, COO, Fast-Track Drugs & Biologics, LLC
Poseida Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company, was in the market for an EDC system, evaluating systems from five vendors that could check off these requirements:
- Easily build studies and manage in-house, with short timelines and easy updates
- Able to load external data, e.g. central labs, and manage integrations on their own
- Support local lab reference range collection and integration
- Integrate with other systems, e.g. IVRS, without restrictions
- Provide ease of metrics/data view within the system
- Include medical coding
- Functional use for all users (sites, CRAs, etc.)
- Vendor support
- Dynamic functionality for fields, forms, and schedule of events
- Data export – SAS, SDTM, raw data
Of the five vendors they’ve assessed, only Zelta could meet all these needs. The Zelta platform has enabled Poseida to reap new benefits like reduced redundancies, data consolidation from multiple sources, new structure and consistency added to previously free-form data, audit trails, and real-time reporting. And the Medical Coding AI has been a significant benefit!
“I’m impressed with how much information has been packed into a short period of time. I’m glad the conference was expanded this year…they did a great job last year and incorporated some lessons from that one.”
– Ray Carlburg, Assoc. Director, Data Management, Poseida Therapeutics
The Zelta User Conference is all about sharing and showing how we’re laser focused on the areas that will drive better outcomes for our Zelta users: flexibility, intelligence, scalability, adaptability, and transparency. We put these values on full display in everything from our demos to product roadmaps to spotlight presentations with SPR Therapeutics and Poseida. Everyone in attendance got to hear about and see hands-on firsthand demonstrations of how Zelta is investing and innovating, to better support clinical trial study build, execution, and data acquisition.
Most of all, it was just a really fun time to get together with clients and colleagues all in one place. There are too few opportunities across the year to get everyone together for reconnecting and knowledge swapping, and it’s why the Zelta User Conference has quickly become a favorite of mine and a new annual tradition. I hope to see you in 2025!
