Promoting diversity in clinical trials: insights from planning the ALUMNI AD study in historically underrepresented US populations with early symptomatic Alzheimer's disease

Abstract

Summary: Clinical trial participation across disease areas, including Alzheimer's disease (AD), has been biased towards White participants of European ancestry. To support clinical decision-making across diverse populations, we must recognize and address barriers to trial participation. To inform the design of ALUMNI AD, a trial focused on historically underrepresented AD populations, we held advice-seeking fora with key stakeholders to understand barriers and identify potential solutions to maximize trial participation of underrepresented racial and ethnic groups in the US. Strategies identified from this process include: obtaining and implementing recommendations from community stakeholders; establishing a simple and inclusive prescreening and screening process; supporting participants and care partners; identifying and activating community-centric clinical sites; and demonstrating community commitment. While ALUMNI AD did not commence, we hope that our insights could be incorporated into future studies to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion in AD clinical research. Funding: This study was sponsored by Genentech, Inc.

Keywords

• Clinical trial protocol
• Diversity, Equity, Inclusion
• Underrepresentation
• Alzheimer's disease
• Social determinants of health