Corengi: Clinical Options Research Engine

Participating in clinical trials can help you receive treatment you would usually not have available. Unfortunately, finding clinical trials can be a hassle. First, you have to find trials you qualify for. Of those trials, you need to be able to get to them. Corengi.com can help people with Type 2 Diabetes find clinical trials much faster and with less stress.

All it takes is your ZIP code and the answers to a couple of questions about your diabetes to find clinical trials that are both close to your home and a potential clinical match. These questions are simple: including when you were born, when you were diagnosed, what medications you're taking, and your most recent HbA1c. After you submit your data, you can see a list of clinical trials that you might be qualified for. You can then dig in on any one trial, finding out more details about the criteria, the research, and how to contact them.

Here's a quick review of the service they offer. You can find a lot of these answers (in greater detail) on their FAQ page.

How much does it cost?

This is generally the first question people ask about the service. Corengi is comprehensive, listing all ongoing trials in the U.S. and Canada and completely free for all users. No fine print, no upgrade services. Completely free! Surprised? I was too. 

How does it work?

1. There are a couple of ways to use the Corengi engine. They recently released their compact widget (shown on the right) to help begin the process without visiting their site. Simply fill in your information and it will work it's magic right here. This is a quick, no fuss way to start your clinical trial search. There are some benefits to registering with the site, though. You can add more information that will help narrow down the amount of trials they show you. Continue reading for a more detailed outline of how their search engine works and how to use their site.
2. Register with the site by providing an email and a password. You'll notice an opt in checkbox for contact from Corengi or trial organizers. This allows them to contact you if they come across trials that you would be a good fit for. As with any site you put your information on, you should take a look at their Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions.

   

3. Then provide your zip code. This will allow them to find trials that are close to your location.

   

4. Now we have to fill in some medical details. After you answer these questions, the Corengi engine will do it's magic to find the best trial for you. You provide basic information like your name, age, weight and height. Then you provide some medical info (A1c levels, blood pressure, etc).

   

5. After looking at your answers, Corengi will give you a list of potential trials. Each trial listing is divided into 3 areas. The first area includes the trial name and a brief description. The second area includes the the trial status, which phase it's in, the ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier, and the distance from your provided zip code. The final area, in the gold box, contains extra requirements for the specific trial. The list is sorted by distance, with the closest being first.
   
6. Clicking on the trial name will take you to a more detailed listing. This page contains an overview of the trial, inclusion criteria, exclusion criteria, and contact information for the trial organizer.
   

Now what?

At this point, the rest is up to you. Corengi has helped you gather the important information you need, match that information to the right trials, and provided a way for you to contact those people. You'd be amazed how much time this has shaved off this otherwise stressful process.

You should talk with your diabetes healthcare team about the trials you found before proceeding any further.

What else do they have?

Corengi also has a search function you can use for finding specific trials, a blog section with current diabetes news and a newsletter.

Final Thoughts

Corengi is a great service for people with Type 2 Diabetes and the people who conduct clinical trials. The only thing holding it back is the involvement of these two groups. If they can get in with the top drug makers conducting these trials, they'll have the oppurtunity to really narrow down the searches and get the right people involved faster.

There are a number of additions that could possibly make this site even more useful and most of them are already included in the companies future plans. Opening up this search engine to other common conditions, such as Type 1 diabetes, cancer, arthriitis, Alzheimer's and more would be great. Being able to receive updates or notifications based upon your medical profile would also be nice. 

Overall, this is a great start for the company and I look forward to seeing what they do in the future.