Veristat, a global clinical research organization (CRO) and consultancy, will join AOBiome Therapeutics to highlight the essentials of effective sponsor-CRO collaboration at the upcoming Clinical Outsourcing Group – Bay Area 2025 conference.

The discussion focuses on how early integration and transparent communication between sponsors and CROs can improve trial success, regulatory compliance, and operational efficiency.

Transactional sponsor-CRO relationships remain a barrier in drug development, often limiting strategic value and slowing progress. The session will examine how transforming these relationships into true partnerships can accelerate clinical trials, reduce development costs, and improve the likelihood of regulatory approval.

Kim Boericke, COO of Veristat, said: “I look forward to this important discussion, as CROs often tell sponsors what they want to hear rather than what they need to hear. Strategic partnerships require transparency, shared accountability, and the courage to have difficult conversations to prevent regulatory delays and failed trials.”

The session will also cover challenging realities in clinical development that many CROs avoid, including unrealistic timelines, flawed study designs, and regulatory blind spots. Attendees will gain practical insights on proactive, integrated collaboration to avoid costly setbacks.

Hyun Kim, senior vice president of clinical development at AOBiome Therapeutics, will share the company’s experience working with Veristat since 2016. Their partnership spans multiple disease areas, including hypertension, eczema, and migraine, and has grown to five clinical studies from Phase 2 through registration, with Veristat providing statistical consulting, regulatory strategy, and trial delivery.

Kim said: “What sets a strategic CRO partnership apart is not just expertise, but also alignment—on priorities, risk tolerance, and decision-making speed. With Veristat, we’ve been able to move faster and smarter because they operate as an extension of our team, not a vendor.”

The session is scheduled for 21 October at 4:45 p.m. PT at the Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport, Burlingame, CA, providing attendees the opportunity to hear directly from Veristat and AOBiome about best practices for strategic CRO collaboration.