Top 10 Clinical Trial Indications in the Bay State

Biotech and pharma companies have converged onto the Bay State to turn the area into one of the most densely packed pharma hubs in the world.  Companies from across the state make up BioSpace’s Genetown Hotbed map and have demonstrated significant success in developing new treatments for various diseases. But, before successes can be had, new treatments and therapies must go through the clinic.

After pouring over 115 pages of clinicaltrials.gov reports that list the different types of studies conducted in the Bay State over the past several years, BioSpace put together a list of the top 10 indications being researched in the area by pharma companies, academic institutions and other organizations. The trials range from Phase I to Phase III. Some are ongoing, some are complete and some have been discontinued or are on hold.

1. Infection – Under the very broad name of infection, there have been 1,759 clinical trials in Massachusetts. This category includes some issues such as infections at wound or surgical sites, soft tissue infections and even the more serious types like HIV, which is also listed on the clinical trials list as its own category. When looked at individually, there have been 1,028 trials conducted in relation to HIV infections.
    
2. Neoplasm – Much like research conducted across the country in the Bay Area, investigations into neoplasm therapies are among the top indications in Massachusetts. Neoplasms are an abnormal growth of cells that can be cancerous. There have been thousands of neoplasm trials conducted in the Bay State. When neoplasm trials are broken down into different subsets, the number of trials increases significantly. According to the clinicaltrials.gov database, there have been 2,159 clinical trials for Neoplasms by histologic type. For glandular and epithelial neoplasms, there are 1,015 listed trials, 569 trials for germ cell and embryonal neoplasm, 562 trials for nerve tissue neoplasms and 331 trials for neuroepithelial neoplasms.
    
3. Immune system disease – Another broad category that includes many different topics, diseases of the immune system are also broadly studied in the clinic in Massachusetts. There are a recorded 2,204 trials under this category, which includes things like food allergies, graft versus host disease, HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.
    
4. Carcinoma – Under the umbrella of carcinoma, a type of cancer that begins in cells that make up the skin or the tissue lining organs like the liver or kidney, there have been 1,101 clinical trials in the state. That number grows when the different kinds of carcinoma are broken down. For example, there have been 272 trials for bronchogenic carcinoma, 304 for non-small cell lung carcinoma, 165 for ovarian epithelial carcinoma and 173 clinical trials for squamous cell carcinoma.
    
5. Communicable diseases – Another broad term, there have been 1,759 trials under the communicable disease label. That includes surgical site infections, Cytomegalovirus infections, HIV infections, lower respiratory tract infections, bone marrow transplant infections and more.
    
6. Digestive system diseases – According to the government listings, there have been 1,199 studies of digestive system diseases. Like the other broad umbrella terms, the number grows when additional indications fall under, such as digestive system neoplasm studies, of which there have been 436 conducted in Massachusetts over the past few years.
    
7. Gastrointestinal diseases – Much like the above digestive system trial list, this one rapidly expands. For general studies, there have been 1,199 clinical trials for gastrointestinal diseases. When additional indications are added, the numbers increase, such as the 436 gastrointestinal neoplasm studies and the 20 stromal tumor studies.
    
8. Respiratory tract diseases -- While there are many different kinds of diseases of the lung, there have been 1,137 trials associated with respiratory tract diseases. It includes studies on asthma, COPD, lung transplants, opioid use, lung cancers, and other disorders.
    
9. Metabolic diseases – Another subject with many subsets, there have been 1,129 different trials associated with metabolic diseases, according to the government database. The studies include those on morbid obesity, body fat disorders, calcium deficiencies, infertility and more.
    
10. Mental disorders – There have been 1,044 trials associated with mental disorders. Trials include psychotic disorders, tobacco use disorder, major depressive disorder, schizophrenia and more.