New data presented at ECCO 2026 suggests that a site-centric, AI-supported research network may significantly improve the speed and consistency of clinical trial execution in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
Evaluating multiple Phase II and III trials across ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease in the U.S. and Europe, Iterative Health’s global site network demonstrated an average patient enrollment rate of 0.34 per site per month—approximately 3.4× higher than published industry benchmarks. Trial activation timelines were also notably shorter, with a median of 74 days from site selection to activation compared to the typical 120–171 days, translating to a potential three-month time savings.
By integrating operational infrastructure, standardized workflows, and AI-driven tools at the site level, the model aims to address long-standing bottlenecks in IBD research—particularly declining per-site randomization rates—while accelerating access to emerging therapies across GI and hepatology pipelines.