In a step forward for patient-centered cancer research, a new pilot project reveals that 84% of participants had a positive experience using a newly developed online tool created by the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology called the Participant Engagement Portal (PEP) . Alliance created PEP to foster direct connection between cancer researchers and the individuals who volunteer for clinical studies. The goal was to make it easier for patients and clinicians to share information, deliver trial updates, and self-report on social risk factors. The results of this national project are published in JNCI Cancer Spectrum .
“We know that participating in a clinical trial can feel overwhelming,” said Norah Crossnohere, PhD, MHS, lead author of the study and an Assistant Professor in the Division of General Internal Medicine and a member of the Cancer Control Program at The Ohio State University . “By designing PEP directly with patients and advocates, we built a digital space that feels supportive, respectful and incredibly easy to use. This portal isn't just about recruiting more people into studies; it’s about treating our participants as true partners in research.”
PEP had excellent usability among participants, with 96% of users saying the platform was easy to access and 93% reporting its surveys were easy to complete. Most notably, 93% of participants agreed to be contacted for future research opportunities.
For this pilot project, PEP was tested as an optional component for participants in the Multi-Cancer Early Detection (MCED) Biobank Study ( Alliance A212102 ), an ongoing national clinical trial looking into future blood tests that might detect certain cancers early. Out of 2,221 people in the biobank study, 899 participants (40%) chose to opt in to PEP. Beyond high satisfaction rates, the PEP pilot revealed several important findings:
Understanding How PEP Works
PEP is a secure, user-friendly website built to support patients becoming more active partners in cancer research. Unlike traditional digital health tools focused on recruitment, PEP is specifically designed to support and enrich experiences of individuals already enrolled in a clinical trial.
The portal functions through several innovative features:
“We were eager to offer trial participants a format to allow connection to the study team,” said Suzanne George, MD, senior author on the study project and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. “Nearly all participants who engaged with the tool opted in for recontact for future research which allows the ability to build a research community. PEP gives patients a direct way self-report key data elements, such as specific social and economic factors which may impact a person’s cancer journey.”
While the PEP pilot was a success, researchers noted that future versions must focus on reaching a more diverse group of patients, as PEP enrollees skewed more female and less ethnically diverse compared to the overall biobank study population. Moving forward, Alliance plans to build on these findings by creating educational videos for clinical staff and expanding PEP across more national clinical trials.
"The Alliance connects thousands of cancer specialists across North America, and PEP provides us with a scalable roadmap for modernizing how we interact with our study participants,” said Nancy Campbell, MSN, BSN, co-author and Associate Director of Operations of the Alliance Data Innovation Lab , a part of Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology. “This tool is a tangible step toward making clinical trials more transparent, collaborative, and hopefully more successful for the communities we serve.”
PEP was funded by the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology Foundation . It was also supported in part by Alliance Foundation Trials, LLC, and Genentech, a member of the Roche Group. N.L.C. received support from NCI award U24CA252977 during the period of this study.
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Reference: Digitally engaging participants in cancer clinical trials: Design and pilot of the Alliance Participant Engagement Portal (PEP): JNCI Cancer Spectrum , Volume 10, Issue 3, June 2026, https://doi.org/10.1093/jncics/pkag038
The Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology is a national leader in advancing cancer research, uniting more than 25,000 cancer specialists at 115 main institutions and 1,400 affiliates across the U.S. and Canada. As part of the National Clinical Trials Network and a leading research base for the NCI Community Oncology Research Program, the Alliance conducts pioneering, practice-changing clinical trials that improve outcomes and reshape standards of care. Our work has led to multiple FDA approvals, influenced national guidelines, and produced hundreds of high-impact publications. More than 40,000 participants have taken part in Alliance studies, and our growing biospecimen repository now includes more than 1.5 million samples, collected over the past 30 years. Learn more at www.AllianceforClinicalTrialsinOncology.org .
JNCI Cancer Spectrum
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Digitally engaging participants in cancer clinical trials: Design and pilot of the Alliance Participant Engagement Portal (PEP)
14-May-2026
N.L.C.—No relevant conflicts or disclosures. N.C.—No relevant conflicts or disclosures. E.P.—PI of grants to OSU from Pfizer, Merck Foundation, AstraZeneca, Genentech and Guardant Health; advisory board member for Novartis, Merck, and GSK. M.E.W.—No relevant conflicts or disclosures. R.A.F.—No relevant conflicts or disclosures. A.R.—None declared. A.A.—Advisory board/consultant: Amgen, Kite, SeaGen, Epizyme, Janssen, BeOne, AbbVie, Incyte, TG Therapeutics, ADC Therapeutics, Lilly, Genentech; Research Funding: Lilly, BeOne, Incyte; Royalties: Wolter Kluwers Health (UpToDate). P.A.S.—No relevant conflicts or disclosures. V.B.—No relevant conflicts or disclosures. A.C.Q.—No relevant conflicts or disclosures. N.M.-R.—No relevant conflicts or disclosures. C.D.—No relevant conflicts or disclosures. S.P.—No relevant conflicts or disclosures. S.G.—Advisory board/consultant: Deciphera Pharmaceuticals, NewBay, Alexion; Research funds to my institution: Blueprint Medicines, Deciphera Pharmaceuticals, Merck, Eisai, Tracon, BioAtla, Theseus, IDRX, NewBay; Honoraria: C-Stone Pharmaceuticals; Scientific Advisory Board: Kayothera; Compensated DSMB Chair: WCG; Royalties: Wolter Kluwers Health (UpToDate); Equity: Abbott Labs, Pfizer (Dec 2023-March 2024); Leadership position in nonprofit Oncology: Interim Group Chair Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology (end date November 2023), President Alliance Foundation (end date December 2023).