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Huh KY, Chung WK, Park J, Lee S, Kim M, Oh J, Yu K. Feasibility study for a fully decentralized clinical trial in participants with functional constipation symptoms. Clin Transl Sci 2023; 16:2177-2188. [PMID: 37632169 PMCID: PMC10651644 DOI: 10.1111/cts.13617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2023] [Revised: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 08/11/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Decentralized clinical trials (DCTs) leverage digital technologies to reduce dependency on study sites and intermediaries. DCT should be balanced with accessibility and data reliability while meeting regulatory requirements. Here, we conducted a pilot study for functional constipation symptoms to investigate the feasibility of DCT. The study was an open, fully remote, randomized clinical trial in participants who had functional constipation symptoms. Electronic consent was obtained remotely, and study volunteers were screened through web-based questionnaires. Subjects were randomized to either receive Lactobacillus and vitamin C supplements or vitamin C alone in a 1:1 ratio, which were delivered directly to subjects. Subjects kept track of bowel diaries daily during the 1-week baseline and 2-week treatment period using mobile applications. Bowel symptoms and the validity of the records were descriptively evaluated. A total of 30 subjects were randomized and completed the study. A total of 26.7% of subjects resided outside of the metropolitan area. Two-week Lactobacillus treatments increased the number of defecations (+0.80 vs. +0.46 times per week) and decreased the defecation time (-3.94 h vs. -1.62 h) compared to the comparator group. Overall, 67.1% of bowel diary records were completed in accordance with the schedule whereas 32.9% were not. Implementation of DCTs can facilitate geographic accessibility but should be guaranteed for data reliability. Prompt detection of errors and response using objective metrics would be required.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ki Young Huh
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology and TherapeuticsSeoul National University College of Medicine and HospitalSeoulKorea
| | - Woo Kyung Chung
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology and TherapeuticsSeoul National University College of Medicine and HospitalSeoulKorea
| | - Jiyeon Park
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology and TherapeuticsSeoul National University College of Medicine and HospitalSeoulKorea
| | - SeungHwan Lee
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology and TherapeuticsSeoul National University College of Medicine and HospitalSeoulKorea
| | - Min‐Gul Kim
- Nanum Space Co., LtdJeonjuKorea
- Department of Pharmacology, Medical SchoolJeonbuk National UniversityJeonjuKorea
| | - Jaeseong Oh
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology and TherapeuticsSeoul National University College of Medicine and HospitalSeoulKorea
- Present address:
Department of PharmacologyJeju National University School of MedicineJejuRepublic of Korea
| | - Kyung‐Sang Yu
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology and TherapeuticsSeoul National University College of Medicine and HospitalSeoulKorea
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Huh KY, Lee H, Lee S, Yu K, Kim KH, Kim H. Exploration of smart adherence-monitoring methods in vitamin D-deficient patients: A pilot feasibility clinical study. Clin Transl Sci 2023; 16:1866-1875. [PMID: 37461832 PMCID: PMC10582656 DOI: 10.1111/cts.13594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2023] [Revised: 07/07/2023] [Accepted: 07/08/2023] [Indexed: 07/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Treatment adherence is an underestimated determinant of treatment success. Poor treatment adherence can also affect the efficacy of clinical trials. A combination of multiple adherence-monitoring methods is required to ensure robustness. We investigated whether multiple adherence-monitoring methods, including a novel smartwatch-based monitoring method, would yield reliable and concordant results. In this open, randomized, decentralized clinical trial, vitamin D-deficient individuals were randomized to an App - only group (an electronic medication diary) or an App + Watch group (i.e., App and smartwatch-based monitoring) groups after a week run-in period. The participants received vitamin D supplements (1000 IU) for 12 weeks (two consecutive periods of 6 weeks) with two pill counts (at the sixth week) and biweekly blood samplings for serum 25(OH) vitamin D concentration. Adherence was assessed and compared between the methods. Sixteen participants were enrolled, of which 13 completed the study. Serum 25(OH) vitamin D levels comparably increased in both groups until the first 7 weeks but trended higher in the App + Watch group in the second period. The number of doses recorded by the pill count and App did not differ significantly between the run-in and Period 1 (p = 0.5534) but became significantly discrepant in Period 2 (p = 0.0225). In contrast, the concordance for smartwatch-based monitoring was consistent in either period (p = 0.5898 and p = 0.5839, respectively). We explored multiple adherence-monitoring methods in this pilot feasibility clinical study. Smartwatch-based adherence monitoring may be an objective and sensitive method for measuring treatment adherence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ki Young Huh
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology and TherapeuticsSeoul National University College of Medicine and HospitalSeoulKorea
| | | | - SeungHwan Lee
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology and TherapeuticsSeoul National University College of Medicine and HospitalSeoulKorea
| | - Kyung‐Sang Yu
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology and TherapeuticsSeoul National University College of Medicine and HospitalSeoulKorea
| | - Kyung Hwan Kim
- Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular SurgerySeoul National University College of Medicine and HospitalSeoulKorea
| | - Heejin Kim
- Clinical Trials CenterSeoul National University HospitalSeoulKorea
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Huh KY, Jeong SU, Moon SJ, Kim MJ, Yang W, Jeong M, Song I, Kwak YG, Lee S, Kim MG. METORY: Development of a Demand-Driven Blockchain-Based Dynamic Consent Platform Tailored for Clinical Trials. Front Med (Lausanne) 2022; 9:837197. [PMID: 35646983 PMCID: PMC9136007 DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2022.837197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2021] [Accepted: 04/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The recent advent of the dynamic consent concept intensified the data integrity issue in clinical trials. Incorporating blockchain technology into a dynamic consent platform can be a feasible solution. Due to various clinical trial settings, a demand-driven development strategy is required. We developed a blockchain-based dynamic consent platform named METORY tailored for clinical trials. The platform consisted of three parts: web and mobile application user interface, study management platform, and blockchain platform. Hyperledger Fabric, an enterprise-grade private blockchain framework, was used to integrate blockchain into the study consent platform. We conducted user acceptance tests and applied feedback to the improvement of the platform. Identity and role-based access control was constructed by combining mobile-application-based certificate system and access control functionalities in Hyperledger fabric. Data were encrypted using SHA-256 prior to transmission to blockchain server and TLS protocol was used for in-transit encryption. File-system level encryption was separated implemented within the security measures from Amazon RDS. Users' experience in the clinical trial was acceptable in the ease and usefulness of the platform.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ki Young Huh
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Seoul National University College of Medicine and Hospital, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Sang-un Jeong
- Center for Clinical Pharmacology and Biomedical Research Institute, Jeonbuk National University Hospital, Jeonju, South Korea
| | - Seol Ju Moon
- Center for Clinical Pharmacology and Biomedical Research Institute, Jeonbuk National University Hospital, Jeonju, South Korea
| | - Min-Ji Kim
- Center for Clinical Pharmacology and Biomedical Research Institute, Jeonbuk National University Hospital, Jeonju, South Korea
| | - Wooseok Yang
- Clinical Trial Center, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Myeonggyu Jeong
- Clinical Trial Center, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Ildae Song
- Department of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, Kyungsung University, Busan, South Korea
| | - Yong-Geun Kwak
- Center for Clinical Pharmacology and Biomedical Research Institute, Jeonbuk National University Hospital, Jeonju, South Korea
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju, South Korea
| | - SeungHwan Lee
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Seoul National University College of Medicine and Hospital, Seoul, South Korea
- *Correspondence: SeungHwan Lee
| | - Min-Gul Kim
- Center for Clinical Pharmacology and Biomedical Research Institute, Jeonbuk National University Hospital, Jeonju, South Korea
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju, South Korea
- Research Institute of Clinical Medicine of Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju, South Korea
- Min-Gul Kim
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