Transforming Clinical Trial Enrollments with Grove AI: A Student’s Vision
While studying engineering at Stanford University, Tran Le encountered a frustrating challenge: enrolling in clinical trials for her chronic condition. Despite finding promising trials, the tedious sign-up process, involving extensive email exchanges and 20-page forms, proved daunting. Recognizing the inefficiency, Le saw potential in using generative AI to streamline this process from weeks to mere minutes.
Earlier this year, Le partnered with Sohit Gatiganti, a fellow Stanford Medicine engineer, to co-found Grove AI. Together, they aimed to tackle the cumbersome enrollment procedures that plague many patients looking for trials independently on platforms like clinicaltrials.gov. These registries help discover relevant studies, yet the task of contacting trial administrators remains laborious due to understaffing, bureaucracy, and outdated systems.
“A lot of the players in this space are reaching out to us, and they’re very interested in partnering with us,” said Le.
– Tran Le
Le and Gatiganti introduced Grace, Grove AI’s voice-based agent designed to alleviate the enrollment bottleneck. When patients express interest in a trial, Grace promptly engages them with pre-screening questions to assess eligibility. If qualified, it schedules an initial visit to the clinical site for final assessment by trial managers.
- Since its inception eight months ago, Grove AI has interacted with 250,000 patients.
- Scheduled 7,000 in-person appointments.
- Secured two multi-year contracts.
Remarkably, Grove AI is pioneering the use of generative AI for expediting patient enrollment in trials—a straightforward solution with no current competition. Investors are taking note; the startup recently raised $5.2 million in seed funding led by venture firm A*, alongside Afore Capital, LifeX Ventures, and Pear VC.
“The market that they’re going after is not the biggest market today, but I think there’s room for it to grow,” said Gautam Gupta, co-founder and general partner at A*.
– Gautam Gupta
Gautam Gupta highlighted that while Grove AI’s technology isn’t overly complex, its demand among historically tech-averse organizations is promising. Beyond Grace’s capabilities, Gupta sees potential in Grove AI’s development of a patient relationship management tool. This innovation could replace current spreadsheet tracking at clinical sites with an AI-driven management system.
“I don’t know how to quantify that opportunity now, but I do know that it creates a pretty significant moat,” he added.
– Gautam Gupta
In conclusion, Grove AI’s journey illustrates how a simple yet effective application of AI can transform healthcare processes. As they continue to innovate and expand their offerings, the company stands poised to redefine patient engagement within clinical trials.
