May 20 was International Clinical Trials Day, and Kiama-based company Evrima is in the spotlight for its innovative technology that aims to bridge the gap between clinical trials, patients, and GPs - connecting world-class researchers with the broader community.

Evrima’s CEO and founder, Charlotte Bradshaw, was living in Singapore during the pandemic. When international borders reopened, she sought a sea change and chose Kiama as the ideal location to run her remote-first company.

“We're a completely remote company, but we're fortunate to have some employees in the Illawarra, and we’d love to see an office here in Kiama one day,” Bradshaw said. 

“We were very lucky to find a home in Kiama - it’s such a relaxing and peaceful town. I'm able to easily see my team in Sydney, but we really feel like we're part of the community now.”

Bradshaw founded Evrima in 2019, inspired by the challenges she faced while conducting medical research at university. 

“What I found when trying to do my own research projects was that there were just so many moving pieces,” she said. “It’s very manual and I had such difficulty getting new medicine to the people that need it. And I thought, there’s got to be a better way.”

“One of the biggest challenges in medical research is finding people who are suitable for a trial and making sure the trial gets done on time. We’ve all been impacted by people who’ve had a particular condition or disease, and medical research is vital to be able to get those new medicines to the people who need them.”

Evrima’s technology is designed to streamline that process by raising awareness of trials and encouraging trial conversations at the GP level.

 “What particularly fascinated me was the fact that we go to our GP from time to time, but GPs aren’t on the front foot when it comes to clinical research as a care option,” she said. 

Source: Jonathan Borba

“So there’s this huge divide between clinical research and clinical practice.”

That gap inspired the creation of Evripath, a digital referral pathway that allows GPs and healthcare professionals to see which clinical trials are currently available in their area. 

“From there, they can automatically see which of their patients might be suitable,” Bradshaw explained. “And then, if they so choose - with the patient’s consent - they can refer that patient in. It’s a very straightforward process, but that product and software didn’t exist before.”

Since 2019, the software has been tested and refined, and the company is now inviting GPs to begin using it. 

“The idea is to give more patients the opportunity to access cutting-edge medicine, without having to rely on a chance conversation or happen to be in the right hospital,” said Bradshaw.

To help address public uncertainty and misinformation, Evrima also developed Evrilink, a companion platform that helps patients understand what clinical trials involve, what kind of commitment is required, and whether they’re a good fit.

“I think there are many misconceptions, and awareness is typically low,” Bradshaw said. “Some of those misconceptions include that you need to be very unwell, such as being in a hospital, to take part in a trial. And that’s simply not the case.”

Bradshaw says the broader vision is to make clinical trials part of everyday healthcare. 

“We want to embed clinical trials into standard care and practice,” she said. “That way we increase awareness, improve access, and accelerate the development of new medicines - especially for people who may not have treatment options today.”

To find current clinical trials, visit www.evrima.com/active-trials or speak to your GP or healthcare professional.