Trial Design
Platform Trial
A platform trial is a clinical trial that evaluates multiple investigational treatments against a common control under a single master protocol, with treatments added or dropped over time based on accumulating evidence.
Platform trials use a perpetual master protocol and shared infrastructure (sites, control arm, data systems) so new arms can be added without launching a separate study. Examples include I-SPY 2 in breast cancer, RECOVERY in COVID-19, and GBM AGILE in glioblastoma.
Compared with traditional trials, platform trials reduce per-arm cost by 30; 50%, accelerate enrollment by sharing eligible patients across arms, and use Bayesian adaptive randomization to direct more patients toward effective treatments.
Related terms
Adaptive Trial Design
An adaptive trial design is a clinical trial that uses pre-specified rules to modify aspects of the study (sample size, randomization ratio, dose, treatment arms, endpoints) based on accumulating interim data, without compromising scientific validity.
Master Protocol
A master protocol is a single overarching trial protocol that supports the simultaneous evaluation of multiple drugs, multiple diseases, or multiple sub-populations, typically under one IND and shared operational infrastructure.
Basket Trial
A basket trial is a clinical trial that tests one investigational therapy across multiple disease types (typically cancers) that share a common molecular biomarker or genetic alteration.
Umbrella Trial
An umbrella trial is a clinical trial that evaluates multiple targeted therapies in patients with a single disease, stratified by molecular or genetic subtype, under one master protocol.
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