Renal & Cardiometabolic Center of Excellence
Solving Recruitment and Design Challenges in Renal and Cardiometabolic Trials
Avance Clinical has launched its Renal & Cardiometabolic Center of Excellence to address one of the biggest barriers to successful mid- to late-phase clinical trials: patient recruitment and retention. Renal and cardiometabolic studies often face costly delays when protocols are designed without early therapeutic expertise, leaving gaps that impact feasibility, recruitment, and real-world applicability.
Our new Center of Excellence is built to change that. By embedding regional scientific experts into study design from day one, we ensure protocols are optimized for both patients and investigators, reducing delays and increasing trial success rates.
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CLINICAL TRIAL EXPERTS
Three decades of experience in biotech drug development
Why We Built This
Center of Excellence
Recruitment before design
Instead of waiting for recruitment issues to emerge, our therapeutic leaders shape protocols upfront to match patient realities.
Bridging the gap
Too often, sponsors rely on scientific advisory boards while CROs and investigators remain disconnected. We fix that by integrating experts directly into the sponsor team.
Global patient access
With Asia-Pacific carrying some of the highest burdens of kidney disease, diabetes, and heart conditions, our regional network provides unparalleled access to these patient populations.
Continuity across phases
Sponsors no longer need to piece together different providers as their programs advance. Our integrated experts support the full journey — from early design to regulatory submission.
A Global Network of Experts
Avance Clinical’s Center of Excellence strategically positions therapeutic leaders across key regions — including continued expansion of our teams in USA, Europe, South Korea, Taiwan, India, Sri Lanka and Malaysia — connecting sponsors with the right patients and the right investigators. This integrated, global approach not only accelerates trials but also builds confidence with regulators by demonstrating robust scientific oversight.
“Sponsors want seamless support from early development through regulatory submission, but traditional models force them to piece together different providers as their programs advance. We’ve built this Center of Excellence to provide continuity with established therapeutic experts who understand the full development journey. This integrated approach doesn’t just improve individual studies; it builds regulatory confidence.”
– Dr. Graham Birrell, Acting Head, Renal & Cardiometabolic Therapeutic Area
What This Means for Renal & Cardiometabolic Biotechs
- Faster, more reliable patient recruitment and retention
- Trial designs that align with real-world patient needs
- Build investigator motivation and confidence for effective study conduct
- Reduced delays and improved cost efficiency
- Seamless continuity from early development through regulatory submission
“We’re accelerating trials by solving recruitment problems before they start. By involving regional experts from the beginning, we ensure protocols work in practice – not just on paper.”
– Dr. Manthinda (Manthi) Hettiarachchi, Senior Director and Renal & Cardiometabolic Operational Strategy Head
Renal and Cardiometabolic Disease Burden
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a major public health problem and with the rising prevalence of diabetes and hypertension as the leading causes of CKD globally. Approx 850 million people worldwide are estimated to have kidney disease. The majority of this increasing burden is expected to be seen in Asia with most of the disease burden seen in China and India (up to 300 million). The highest age standardised prevalence rates of CKD are seen in central Asia at 10,698.24 per 100,000 persons.
Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of death and disability with 626 million prevalent cases of CVD globally in 2023 and an estimated 19.2 million deaths. Central Asia ranks 2nd globally for age-standardized CVD mortality (676 per 100,000) and 1st in CVD age-standardized prevalence at 11,342.6 per 100,000.
Metabolic diseases, such as obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), hypertension and hypercholesterolemia, have become a global health burden, particularly over the last 30 years. Obesity has been estimated to impact 890 million adults worldwide, while T2DM effects 589 million adults, with over 80% residing in low- and middle-income countries. The highest absolute burdens are found in the most populous countries, including India and China. T2DM has a global age adjusted prevalence of 5,283 per 100,000 and hypertension 234 per 100,000.
An integral function of the renal cardiometabolic centre of excellence (RCM CoE) is to engage with key opinion leaders (KOLs) to leverage their scientific expertise from the earliest stages of protocol design and throughout the life cycle of the study.
The benefits of engaging KOLs and National Leaders from the start of a study include the following :
- KOL expertise can be used to support the design and development of protocols that are scientifically sound and patient-centric
- Early set-up of advisory boards and steering committees to oversee study conduct
- Involvement of National Leaders in the process of site and investigator selection at the start of the study
- Peer-to-peer communication during the conduct of the study to resolve issues and maintain investigator motivation to drive patient recruitment, ensure study cohesion and maximise patient retention
National Leader and KOL Network
Nephrology
Prof Vivekanand Jha
Executive Director at George Institute for Global Health, India
Prof Jonathan Barratt
The Mayer Professor of Renal Medicine, University of Leicester, UK
Prof. Roberto Pecoits-Filho
Arbor Research Collaborative for Health, USA
Prof Meg Jardine
Director of the NHMRC CTC at the University of Sydney.
Prof Kate Wyburn
Deputy Director, Renal Medicine, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney
A/Prof Muh Geot Wong
Director, Renal Research, Concord Hospital, University of Sydney.
Dr Adrian Liew
Senior Consultant Nephrologist, Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital, Singapore
Prof Rosnawati Yahya
Deputy Head, Department of Nephrology, Hospital Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Cardiovascular
Prof Robert M. Graham
Head, Molecular Cardiology Laboratory, Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, Melbourne.
Endocrinology
A/Prof Samantha Hocking
Endocrinologist, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney
Dr. Tamara Young
Staff Specialist, Nepean Hospital, Sydney
Partner with Avance Clinical
The Renal & Cardiometabolic Center of Excellence is part of Avance Clinical’s ongoing commitment to provide global-ready solutions for biotech sponsors. With over 30 years of experience, operations across Australia, New Zealand, Asia, North America, and Europe, and award-winning CRO leadership, Avance Clinical is uniquely positioned to support your renal and cardiometabolic programs from preclinical through Late phase.
Contact us to learn how our integrated approach can keep your studies on track.
Meet Our Expert Team
Our team is focused on supporting your Renal and Cardiometabolic drug development programs
Dr Graham Birrell
Renal & Cardiometabolic Therapeutic Area Head
Dr Manthinda (Manthi) Hettiarachchi
Renal & Cardiometabolic Operational Strategy Head