This episode of the Scope of Things features an exclusive panel at SCOPE Europe 2025 covering regulatory requirements for AI literacy training, featuring industry executives Jonathan Crowther, head of the operational design center at Merck KGaA; Janie Hansen, global development information management, business systems transformation at Daiichi Sankyo; Francis Kendall, head of statistical programming, digital and data sciences at Biogen; and James Weatherall, vice president and chief data scientist of biopharmaceuticals R&D at AstraZeneca. Plus, host Deborah Borfitz gives the latest news on efforts to reduce excess data collection in studies, whole genome sequencing of breast cancer, a virus cocktail to combat superbugs, and more. 

Show Notes
News Roundup   

Collaborative study on data collection in trials 

• News posted on the TransCelerate website 

Heart benefits of semaglutide 

• Study in The Lancet 

Whole genome sequencing of breast cancers 

• Study in The Lancet Oncology 

Pan-cancer immunotherapy heads to trials 

• Research article in Cell 
• Article in Bio-IT World 

Promising NAD+ “youth molecule” 

• Review article in Nature Aging  

Virus cocktail to combat superbugs 

• Article in Nature Microbiology 

AI annotates medical images 

• News posted on the MIT website 

Fitbits aid precision health 

• American Life in Realtime study in PNAS Nexus 

Latest from the Human Epilepsy Project 

• Study in JAMA Neurology 

Imposter study participants 

• Editorial in The BMJ 

Guests 

• Jonathan Crowther, Ph.D., Head, Operational Design Center, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany 
• Janie Hansen, Global Development Information Management, Business Systems Transformation, Daiichi Sankyo 
• Francis Kendall, Head of Statistical Programming, Digital and Data Sciences, Biogen 
• James Weatherall, Ph.D., Vice President & Chief Data Scientist, BioPharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca 

The Scope of Things podcast explores clinical research and its possibilities, promise, and pitfalls. Clinical Research News senior writer, Deborah Borfitz, welcomes guests who are visionaries closest to the topics, but who can still see past their piece of the puzzle. Focusing on game-changing trends and out-of-the-box operational approaches in the clinical research field, the Scope of Things podcast is your no-nonsense, insider’s look at clinical research today.