Launched in June 2021, Genentech’s Advancing Inclusive Research® (AIR) Site
Alliance is setting a new industry standard for making clinical research more inclusive of
and accessible to communities who have been historically underrepresented. Three
years in, Genentech has continued to drive impact across three critical areas: inclusive
recruitment, enhanced patient support and education and innovation through learning.
One of the key lessons learned through the AIR Site Alliance is that patients of color do
want to participate in clinical research – despite prevailing myths that say otherwise.
Over time, Genentech’s efforts to increase racial and ethnic representation among
clinical research participants have yielded strong results. In 2023, the six AIR Site
Alliance oncology sites enrolled 89% more Black and Hispanic/Latinx patients than the
other sites on the same studies. Additionally, in ~25% of the studies involving the AIR
Site Alliance, these oncology sites were the sole recruiters of Black or Hispanic/Latinx
patients.
Appropriate patient support has been a crucial component of the AIR Site Alliance’s
interventions to ensure patients receive the guidance and resources they need to
participate confidently in clinical research. This hands-on support is critical to
demystifying the clinical research process and facilitate access to necessary services
like financial and transportation support throughout their involvement in the clinical
study.
Looking ahead, Genentech plans to continue evolving the AIR Site Alliance,
implementing learnings, expanding into new therapeutic areas and sites, and building a
playbook so that others in the industry can adapt to further patient impact.