Introducing Dr Catchpole
As Chief Scientific Officer, Dr Catchpole has “overall responsibility for the scientific conduct” of hVIVO’s studies and laboratory services, and oversees the manufacturing of their challenge viruses. He runs the team that designs the studies and supports their clients with data interpretation.
How hVIVO tackles the task
hVIVO describes itself as an “industry leader” so we asked Dr Catchpole to tell us a bit more about how challenge trials work at the company. He emphasises that challenge trials are “really the main part of our business”. From the “people who are picking up the phones and recruiting volunteers” to the clinical staff, it’s all about “how we can optimise” the studies, create the “best experience for our volunteers”, and provide the “best possible data” to clients.
Having build up a “big body of data”, hVIVO uses this to improve study design, always “challenging ourselves – can we hone this, can we hone that” to give the client the “best possible interpretation” whatever the result.
hVIVO plc (formerly Open Orphan plc) is a rapidly growing specialist contract research organisation (CRO) and the world leader in testing infectious and respiratory disease vaccines and antivirals using human challenge clinical trials, providing end-to-end early clinical development services for its broad and long-standing client base of biopharma companies.
