Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | March 9, 2026 | Worcester Business Journal 9 data processing times, and high costs. Boericke's strategy combines trial opti- mization, artificial intelligence integra- tion, and enhancing patient comfort to position Veristat as an international competitor in the $50-billion indus- try of outsourced clinical trials, said McMillan. Veristat's search committee was looking for a CEO candidate who had experience and expertise in three key strengths: the ability to build relation- ships with pharmaceutical companies of all sizes, a deep understanding of clinical research, and the capability to effectively manage a company of profes- sionals, McMillan said. "She was the best mix of those three," he said. Boericke's vision of Veristat's future and its potential for expansion helped solidify the board's decision to elevate her to the firm's most-senior role. "Probably the most important ingre- dient if you're running a CRO of that size is your path to growth, having a clear view of where you want to take the company," said McMillan. Central Massachusetts is an ideal location to accel- erate that growth, as the region is growing its own drug discovery and therapeutic cluster, said Jon Weaver, presi- dent and CEO of Worcester-based incubator Massa- chusetts Biomedi- cal Initiatives. e number of drug discovery companies moving into MBI in the last decade has grown exponentially, Weaver said. A couple of years ago, 65% of MBI's startups were in drug discov- ery. at figure has dipped to about 45% today due to economic policy shis, inflationary pressures, and the struggles to raise capital. On average, $2 billion is needed across 10 years to bring a drug to mar- ket, said Boericke. In Central Massachusetts specifical- ly, money is flowing into the biotech industry, said Weaver, but it's mainly allocated to later-stage companies, not the early-stage firms Veristat typically works with. "It takes a lot of investors with a lot of faith in the potential of the product to help get it along that long journey before they'll have their first product sale," he said. With early-stage companies relying on investment capital for much of their first decade, that window presents a critical opportunity to reduce trial time- lines and costs. Boericke intends to do just that, start- ing with clinical trial optimization. Optimizing drug trials Patient recruitment is one of the most challenging aspects of trials for drug developers, as clinical trials have strict eligibility criteria, said Boericke. She plans to harness the data Veristat collects to broaden criteria guidelines to include as many patients as possible while still producing clean outcomes. "You're trying to make your windows as large as possible so you can incorpo- rate as many people as possible into the trial," she said. Veristat then can shi more of its focus to patient experience. Veristat is pushing for more decentralized trials, using methods including remote monitoring, at-home nursing, and patient-reported outcomes to afford patients more flexibility while they participate in trials. In tandem with these goals, scaling services is a primary objective for Veri- stat, said McMillan, especially through automation. Boericke intends to use AI during the data processing period of clinical trials. Once the clinical data is received from doctors, labs, and imaging specialists, that information goes through data management and onto biostatisticians, who organize the information into data sets to be ana- lyzed. Veristat is now giving those data sets and analytical specifications to AI to formulate tables, listings, and figures in order to compare outputs. "Decisions can be made in real time, rather than waiting several months for your output to come out and be able to see what happened on your trial," said Boericke. Jon Weaver, president and CEO of Massachusetts Biomedical Initiatives Join Seven Hills Foundation for the 38th Annual New Beginnings Charity Golf Tournament for a new beginning at The Haven Country Club. The event supports the Seven Hills Community Connections activities for people with disabilities, providing social, arts, sports, and more—while building a community in which to thrive. Sponsor • Golf • Donate • Volunteer Help people with disabilities SEE the possibilities, BELIEVE in their abilities, and ACHIEVE their dreams. Scan the QR code or visit sevenhills.org/nbgolf, today! Monday May 4, 2026 10 am Shotgun Start Lunch, Prizes, Raffles Need Extra Capital to Take Your Business to the Next Level? 800-939-9103 cornerstonebank.com Member FDIC | Member DIF We're here to support your growth and success. Our tailored financing solutions address your unique needs for construction, equipment, expansion, and working capital, helping your business thrive. Scan the QR code to learn more. Fast-growing Veristat Five times in the past 10 years, Veristat has been named to Inc. magazine's list of the top 5,000 fastest-growing companies in the United States. Year Rank Difference in placement from previous ranking 2015 #3,062 N/A 2016 #2,128 Gained 934 spots 2017 #2,595 Lost 467 spots 2018 #4,798 Gained 2,203 spots 2022 #3,880 Gained 918 spots Source: Inc. magazine W

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