Headlands Research has opened its fifth and final research site under its multi-year partnership with Pfizer to increase the diversity of participants in clinical trials, the clinical research network announced March 28.
The new site, Headlands Research Orlando, specializes in neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. These diseases have historically been understudied in non-white populations. As an example, Black and Hispanic populations have a higher rate of Alzheimer’s disease prevalence than white people, but are less likely to be included in clinical trials, a 2021 report from the Alzheimer’s Association showed. This is due in part to historical discrimination that has made certain patients wary of clinical trial participation, the report noted.
The Headlands and Pfizer partnership aims to help bridge the gap by placing trial sites in locations where underrepresented populations live. For Orange County, where Orlando is located, Headlands cited Census data showing that nearly 25% of the surrounding county is Black, while more than a third of individuals are of Hispanic or Latin American heritage. The partnership also has seen new sites launched in Detroit, Atlanta, greater Los Angeles and Brownsville, a city on the Texas-Mexico border.
Headlands has a total of 18 locations across the U.S. and Canada. The network employs more than 500 people.