Duane Peters from the Lupus Foundation of America interviews Dr Stephen Balevic, Dr Rachel Randell and Professor Laura Schanberg from Duke University in the USA. They discuss the advantages and challenges of designing and implementing self-controlled clinical trials for paediatric lupus patients in a home setting, based on their experience of conducting the Individual Patient Exposure and Response in Pediatric Lupus (iPERSONAL) trial. Could this be a way to effectively deliver clinical trials in a post-pandemic world?