Sarah Cannon Research Institute (SCRI) has announced a strategic collaboration with Merck, aimed at expanding patient access to oncology clinical trials at community-based sites across the United States.
The collaboration will use SCRI’s Accelero™ clinical trial delivery model to streamline trial operations, improve efficiency and support broader enrollment in cancer clinical research closer to where patients live and receive care.
According to SCRI, the oncology clinical research environment has become increasingly complex as trial designs evolve, eligibility criteria become more specific, and pressure grows to bring new therapeutic approaches to patients more rapidly. SCRI and Merck said the collaboration is intended to address these challenges through a scalable approach to oncology trial execution.
Jennifer Coppola, Associate Vice President and Regional Head for Global Clinical Trial Operations of North America at Merck Research Laboratories, said the collaboration could help “reach patients faster, reduce protocol complexity, and make oncology clinical studies more accessible.”
Leveraging SCRI’s Accelero Model
Accelero is designed to improve the speed and efficiency of oncology drug development by coordinating SCRI’s physician network with industry partners and adapting operational solutions to individual research programs.
The model includes approaches such as electronic health record-to-electronic data capture (EHR-to-EDC) data transfer, accelerated site startup, and increased enrollment in high-priority studies.
SCRI reported that, with selected industry partners, Accelero has achieved:
- Site activations up to 50% faster than traditional operations
- Enrollment rates reported as 19% compared with a cited 7% national average
- 95% fewer data changes compared with traditional clinical research coordinator data-entry processes
The figures are based on publicly available information and internal SCRI study assessments as of July 2026 and may vary according to study-level operations.
Dee Anna Smith, Chief Executive Officer of SCRI, said the organizations are committed to “accelerating trial delivery, reducing operational friction, and bringing research to patients.”
SCRI’s research network includes approximately 1,500 oncology physicians across more than 200 locations in over 20 U.S. states. The institute has conducted more than 900 first-in-human clinical trials since its inception.
SCRI is also part of McKesson’s broader oncology research ecosystem, which combines community-based clinical research with oncology and multispecialty infrastructure.
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