OnCore Clinical Trials System is Live
| The Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute launched July 1 the Advarra OnCore Clinical Trials Management System (CTMS), a powerful new platform that will enhance cancer clinical trials oversight and support cutting-edge research across the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS).
The $2.4 million investment by the Cancer Institute places UAMS among the nation’s leading academic medical centers using OnCore, the most widely adopted clinical trials system in the country currently in use by 80% of National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated cancer centers.
“Cancer clinical trials are rapidly expanding to test new targeted therapies that have the potential to treat rare cancers where few options existed before,” said Michael Birrer, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute and vice chancellor of UAMS. “We have significantly expanded our capacity to participate in these studies, more than doubling our staff and the number of interventional treatment trials we can offer to patients.”
In just three years, the Cancer Institute has significantly expanded its interventional research:
- 2022: 240 total trials, with 49% treatment
- 2023: 271 trials, 60% treatment
- 2024: 284 trials, 67% treatment
- Current: 301 active trials, 70% treatment
The Cancer Institute houses the state’s only Phase 1 Cancer Clinical Trials Unit and is a member of the Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG), the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology and NRG Oncology — all National Cancer Institute-supported organizations within the U.S. National Clinical Trials Network.
This growing portfolio reflects a strategic realignment toward high-priority research areas — including difficult-to-treat solid tumors and early-phase trials involving novel immunotherapies, cellular therapies, biologics and bispecific antibodies. Pharmaceutical companies are increasingly investing in these high-impact studies, and academic cancer centers like the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute are playing a central role.
In 2024, more than 43,000 new cancer clinical trials were registered on ClinicalTrials.gov. That same year, the FDA approved more than 60 new oncology therapies, including 11 first-in-class drugs, according to the American Association for Cancer Research. Each of these approvals was built on the foundation of clinical trials.
With an increasingly complex and high-volume clinical trials program, the Cancer Institute needed an integrated solution that could centralize and streamline all aspects of research operations. OnCore replaces the former ARCRIS system and becomes the Cancer Institute’s dedicated platform for cancer clinical trials management.
Key capabilities of the OnCore include:
- Protocol management and review
- Patient enrollment and tracking
- Regulatory compliance workflows
- Financial tracking, budgeting and calendar builds
- Research billing integration with Epic
- Electronic data capture (EDC) with custom forms tied to each study
The system will manage all cancer clinical trials conducted at the Cancer Institute, serving as a single, unified platform that improves transparency, coordination and efficiency.
“OnCore will significantly improve our operational performance as we continue to expand multisite and interventional treatment trials,” said Matt Kovak, M.S., CCRP, director of the Cancer Clinical Trials Office at the Cancer Institute. “It’s also a key component in supporting a more integrated research environment across UAMS.”
In addition to Kovak, the cross-campus implementation team leading the rollout includes:
- Holly Naramore, director of Project Coordination, UAMS Institutional Support
- Amy Jo Jenkins, M.S., CCRP, associate director of Cancer Institute Administration
- David Avery, B.S., CCRP, senior director of Clinical Research, UAMS Translational Research Institute
- Angie Smith, research systems analyst, UAMS Information Technology
OnCore will not only accelerate clinical research at UAMS, it will also support broader institutional goals by improving research infrastructure, fostering innovation and offering Arkansas patients greater access to groundbreaking therapies.