About Us
About Adaptive Research
Adaptive Research is a healthcare ecosystem that enables community physicians to participate in clinical trials, thereby improving in-need patient access to cutting-edge drugs and technologies. For clinical trial sponsors, Adaptive Research expands access to a larger eligible patient pool and conducts trials in community settings with operational efficiency.
Less than 5% of eligible patients participate in clinical trials, primarily due to inaccessibility. While most drug companies go to academic centers or specialized research centers for trials, most patients are treated outside of such centers. Consequently, cutting-edge drugs and technologies are unavailable to patients in need, drugs take longer to reach market and costs are high.
The key to faster, widely available clinical trials is in the community practices.
Adaptive Research is a pharma solutions ecosystem that enables community physicians to participate in clinical trials, thereby improving in-need patient access to cutting edge drugs and technologies. For clinical trial Sponsors, Adaptive Research expands access to a larger eligible patient pool and conducts trials in community settings with operational efficiency.
Less than 5% of eligible patients participate in clinical trials, primarily due to inaccessibility. While most drug companies go to academic centers or specialized research centers for trials, most patients are treated outside of such centers. Consequently, cutting-edge drugs and technologies are unavailable to patients in need, drugs take longer to reach market and costs are high.
The key to faster, widely available clinical trials is in the community practices.
Many community physicians want to engage in clinical research and bring new treatments to their patients. However, the administrative burden and lack of infrastructure and trained personnel often prevent them from doing so.
Adaptive Research streamlines the entire clinical trial process, so that physicians can focus on their clinical acumen and judgment, unencumbered by added administrative tasks, to advance health care and medicine.
Adaptive Research offers on-site clinical research personnel, standardized clinical operating procedures, trial management software, and regulatory support. These tools improve both physician and patient experience while delivering the highest quality of research data efficiently.
Many community physicians want to engage in clinical research and bring new treatments to their patients. However, the administrative burden and lack of infrastructure and trained personnel often prevent them from doing so.
Adaptive Research streamlines the entire clinical trial process, so that physicians can focus on their clinical acumen and judgment, unencumbered by added administrative tasks, to advance health care and medicine.
What we offer includes on-site clinical research personnel, standardized clinical operating procedures, trial management software, and regulatory support. We aim to improve both physician and patient experience while delivering the highest quality of research data efficiently.
Values
We maintain our operational standards by operating in compliance with all applicable
laws, rules, and regulations that govern our client’s business globally.
Equity
All people should have access to clinical trials; research should reflect the diversity of all people with a certain condition.
Efficiency
Access to large patient populations and streamlined (digital) processes enable highly efficient clinical trials.
Integrity
Authenticity of data in clinical research is key –no room for compromises and commitment to the highest ethical standards.
Quality
Pragmatic, real-world trial design will deliver the highest quality data. Focusing on quality and excellence in all our processes and striving for continuous improvement makes this happen
Compliance
Streamlined processes ensure compliance with all regulations.
Patient Experience
A seamless integration of research activities in a person’s daily life and their routine medical care is vital for successful clinical trials.
Values
We maintain our operational standards by operating in compliance with all applicable
laws, rules, and regulations that govern the company’s business globally.
Equity
All people should have access to clinical trials; research should reflect the diversity of all people with a certain condition.
Efficiency
Access to large patient populations and streamlined (digital) processes enable highly efficient clinical trials.
Integrity
Authenticity of data in clinical research is key – we make no compromises and commit to the highest ethical standards.
Quality
Pragmatic, real-world trial design should deliver the highest quality data. We focus on quality and excellence in all our processes and strive for continuous improvement.
Compliance
We maintain our operational standards by operating in compliance with all applicable laws, rules, and regulations that govern the company’s business globally.
Patient Experience
A seamless integration of research activities in a person’s daily life and their routine medical care is vital for successful clinical trials.
Team
Deepak Behera, MD
President & Chief Executive Officer
Deepak Behera is a physician-scientist turned executive, with expertise in clinical development and medical affairs across clinical, academic, and pharmaceutical/biotechnology sectors. He has over 12 years of experience in clinical research and related regulatory policies and submissions. Deepak’s goal is to push healthcare towards better patient outcomes, while at the same time generating value for all stakeholders. Democratizing clinical trials for patients and physicians aligns perfectly with this goal, and is why he founded Adaptive Research. In addition, Deepak provides strategic and operational advice to multiple pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies in the areas of clinical development, medical affairs, and technology assessment. He received his MD from MKCG Medical College at Berhampur University in India, and earned his board certification in nuclear medicine from India’s National Board of Examinations. He serves on committees and boards of various professional societies, including the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging and the Indo-American Society of Nuclear Medicine. In his free time, Deepak likes to mentor young professionals, play volleyball, go for long drives and have fun with his two kids.
Gavin Choy, PharmD, MBA
Chief Operating Officer
Gavin Choy is a pharmaceutical executive who has held executive leadership roles in life sciences companies for 13 years and has 21 years of early-, mid-, and late-stage development experience, including a role as Chief Operating Officer at Apollomics, Inc. responsible for corporate and clinical development operations. He has led cross functional teams in areas of clinical research, development operations, biometrics, pharmacovigilance, project and alliance management, medical writing, field liaisons, clinical pharmacology, IT, legal, and public relations in therapeutic areas of infectious disease, hematology/oncology, immuno-oncology, and vaccines. Gavin has built successful global organizations leading to the advancement of pipeline assets, multiple INDs and commercialized drug products, and he has managed clinical trial budgets of excess of $100MM. Prior to joining Apollomics, Inc., Gavin was the Senior Vice President of Clinical Sciences and Operations at Galena Biopharma, Inc., where he led the clinical development of the cancer vaccine programs. Before industry practice, he was a clinical pharmacologist in medical oncology, hematology, and bone marrow transplantation at Stanford University Hospital and Clinics. Gavin received a doctorate in pharmacy from the University of Southern California, completed post-doctorate training at the Department of Veteran Affairs, and holds a Health Care Executive Master of Business Administration degree from the Paul Merage School of Business, University of California, Irvine.
Brajesh Agrawal, MD
Chief Medical Officer
Brajesh Agrawal is a board-certified neurologist and clinical neurophysiologist with more than 15 years of experience in drug development. He oversees the clinical research, operations, biometrics & data management, and medical writing teams. He provides strategic leadership for the principal investigator network, developing clinical sites across multiple disease areas, including neuroscience & pain medicine, dermatology, rheumatology, and gastroenterology. Prior to joining Adaptive Research, he served as assistant clinical professor (affiliate) at Stanford University and Southern Illinois University. During his tenure at academic centers, he was instrumental to the late-stage development and approval of various neuroscience therapies. Brajesh received an MD from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi, India, and the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, where he also completed his neurology residency. He was a fellow at the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics, Madison. When he is not working, Brajesh likes to travel, read books, play board games, and solve puzzle games with family and friends.
Matthew De Luna, CPA, CGMA
Chief Financial Officer
Matthew De Luna is a strategic and resilient CFO with more than 18 years of providing the leadership required to optimize financial, corporate accounting, and operational performance for diverse companies in technology, healthcare, life sciences, and other industries. Prior to joining Adaptive Research, Matthew was chief financial officer for ImaginAb, a clinical stage immuno-oncology imaging company. He positioned the company to successfully raise capital and establish sustainable business with more than $10M in Series B preferred stock financing. His career has been marked by expertly navigating various startups and large corporations through major transactions spanning M&A, capital raising, multimillion-dollar public offerings, and financial restructurings. Matthew earned credentials including a CPA and CGMA plus a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from California State University, Fullerton. In his free time, Matthew likes to travel, play sports, and spend time with his wife and three children.
Stephanie van de Ven, MD, PhD
Stephanie van de Ven is a senior scientist and program manager with over 12 years of experience in managing preclinical and clinical research from conception to completion. She has led several clinical trials in academic settings, collaborating with industry partners in medical device and diagnostics companies. She also provides medical imaging related strategic and operational advice for healthcare companies. Prior to joining Adaptive Research, Stephanie was deputy director of the Canary Center at Stanford University, a research center with programs spanning fundamental and clinical research to improve early cancer detection and prognostication. She developed the center’s strategic plans, research and training programs, and internal and external partnerships. Stephanie received her MD from Maastricht University, and her MSc in epidemiology and PhD in medical imaging from the University of Utrecht, The Netherlands. During her radiology residency, she hated seeing so many late cancer diagnoses and decided to focus on molecular imaging and diagnostics research, to detect cancer earlier and make a difference in people’s lives. In her free time, Stephanie enjoys running, a relaxing coffee with friends or family, and going on adventures with her husband and their three little explorers.
Amol Takalkar, MD, MS, MBA
VP, Clinical Affairs and Head, Nuclear Medicine
Amol Takalkar is a board-certified nuclear medicine and molecular imaging specialist with significant experience and expertise in PET/CT imaging including the upcoming paradigm of theranostics, and molecular imaging and therapy using established and novel PET probes in oncology, neurology, cardiology, inflammation, and infection. He has more than 15 years dedicated and compassionate physician executive leadership experience. Amol oversees clinical affairs, nuclear medicine and related teams at Adaptive Research, and is a highly-talented, multifaceted physician, and biomedical engineering, healthcare, healthcare management, and business development professional. Currently, he is Professor of Radiology & Imaging Sciences, Division of Nuclear Medicine & Molecular Imaging at Emory University Hospitals and School of Medicine in Atlanta, GA. Previously, he was the Medical Director at the Center for Molecular Imaging and Therapy at the Biomedical Research Foundation of Northwest Louisiana in Shreveport, LA and Professor of Radiology and Associate Director of Research in the Department of Radiology at Louisiana State University (LSU) Shreveport. Amol received his medical degree from the B. J. Medical College in Pune, India and holds a Masters in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, VA, and an MBA from LSU. He did his nuclear medicine residency at the Hospital of University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, PA. He has served and continues to serve in a leadership position on several committees and boards at various professional organizations including the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging. In his spare time, he enjoys reading, music, and spending quality time with his family including travel and hiking.
Chitra Saxena, MPH
VP, Strategic Partnership
Chitra Saxena oversees strategic partnerships at Adaptive Research and is a passionate and versatile executive leader in radiology, with over 20 years of clinical research experience by applying the “360-Degree” leadership model, bringing value, and influencing people at every level of an organization.
Chitra’s previous expertise includes hospital operations (administrator on call), strategic planning and implementation, process improvement, budget and finance, quality improvement and management, marketing, regulatory affairs and compliance, inspections and audits by Joint Commission, American College of Radiology, Department of Health, and clinical research organizations.
In addition, Chitra leads cross functionally, within a matrix environment, to ensure successful execution of clinical trials including oversight of clinical operations from a quality, timeline, budget, and scope perspective. Previously, at Columbia University, New York, she reviewed IRB clinical research protocols and worked with principal investigators and pharmaceutical companies to execute internal and external clinical research trials in a timely manner. She managed imaging site initiation visits for cardiology, psychiatry, oncology, and neurology trials at Columbia and holds an MPH degree from Columbia University, New York.
Chitra is passionate about public speaking, and enjoys sports, dancing and singing, and spending time with family and friends. She was also a state badminton player in India.
Chitra’s previous expertise includes hospital operations (administrator on call), strategic planning and implementation, process improvement, budget and finance, quality improvement and management, marketing, regulatory affairs and compliance, inspections and audits by Joint Commission, American College of Radiology, Department of Health, and clinical research organizations.
In addition, Chitra leads cross functionally, within a matrix environment, to ensure successful execution of clinical trials including oversight of clinical operations from a quality, timeline, budget, and scope perspective. Previously, at Columbia University, New York, she reviewed IRB clinical research protocols and worked with principal investigators and pharmaceutical companies to execute internal and external clinical research trials in a timely manner. She managed imaging site initiation visits for cardiology, psychiatry, oncology, and neurology trials at Columbia and holds an MPH degree from Columbia University, New York.
Chitra is passionate about public speaking, and enjoys sports, dancing and singing, and spending time with family and friends. She was also a state badminton player in India.
Thomas J. Knapp , JD
General Counsel
Thomas J. Knapp is a has over 30 years of corporate legal experience, with expertise in the biopharmaceutical sector. He earned his B.A. in Political Science and Business from the University of Illinois-Urbana and a J.D. from Loyola University School of Law. Mr. Knapp is Senior Vice President, General Counsel of Ascentage Pharma, a publicly held biotechnology company based in China. In his previous role he was General Counsel and Corporate Secretary for Galena Biopharma, Inc., a publicly traded pharmaceutical company that merged with Sellas Life Sciences Group in 2017. There, Mr. Knapp was responsible for domestic and global legal matters, litigation, corporate governance and compliance and IP matters. Previously, Mr. Knapp was the Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary at Sucampo Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Earlier in his career, he served as Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at NorthWestern Corporation, was Of Counsel at Paul Hastings and Exemplar Law Partners, LLC and held many legal leadership positions at The Boeing Company and The Burlington Northern & Santa Fe Railway Company.
Mark Tsuchiyose, MD
Vice President, Clinical Affairs & Therapeutic Head, GI
Mark Tsuchiyose graduated from USC School of Medicine in 1983 and completed his Internal Medicine residency at Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena, California. He then completed his Gastroenterology fellowship at LAC/USC Medical Center and returned for his Hepatology fellowship at Huntington. Due to his special training in Holland and Japan, Dr. Tsuchiyose was recruited to his current practice to provide ERCP services in 1989. During his 25 years of practice, Dr. Tsuchiyose has been an Associate Clinical Professor at the University of California, San Francisco and a Section Chief in the division of Gastroenterology at Seton Medical Center. Additionally, he has served as Chairman of Medicine over the last four years. He has always been an advocate for private practice in addition to being president of several IPAs. He is now one of the leaders bringing the SCGA GI model for private practice up to Northern California. Dr. Tsuchiyose strongly believes in a balanced approach to life. If you do not see him in the clinic or hospital, you will find him on the golf course, tennis or squash court, ski slope, or somewhere around the world with his family.
Perminder Bhatia, MD
VP, Clinical Affairs & Therapeutic Head, Neurology
Perminder Bhatia is a board-certified Neurologist, Principal Investigator for Clinical Trials and Director at the Neuropain Medical Center in Fresno, CA, which he founded in 2003. He is also on staff at Community Health System, Fresno and the Saint Agnes Medical Center where he previously served as Chief, Division of Neurology. Previously, Dr. Bhatia was the Vice Chief, Department of Medicine at Rideout Memorial Hospital. Since 2003, Dr. Bhatia has completed more than 100 clinical trials and has published numerous research papers. He completed his MBBS from Punjab, India and received his Doctor of Medicine from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He completed his Neurology Specialty Residency from The State University of New York at Buffalo. His specialties include Neurology – Epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, Migraine, Multiple sclerosis, Low back pain, Fibromyalgia, Neuropathy (diabetic and others), post-herpetic neuralgia.
Kristin Andruska, MD, PhD
Senior Medical Director, Clinical Neuroscience & Scientific Research Director
Kristin Andruska is a board-certified neurologist, a fellowship-trained movement disorders specialist, and a renowned expert in the field of neurodegenerative disease. She brings a wealth of knowledge and experience, starting with the University of Texas at Austin, where she received her undergraduate degree in biology. She attended the University of Minnesota as a predoctoral fellow of the National Institute of Health’s Medical Scientist Training Program, earning both an MD and a PhD. She received a competitive Kirschstein fellowship to support her PhD research, which focused on the biochemistry of inherited neurodegenerative disease. Dr. Andruska completed her neurology residency at Washington University and Barnes-Jewish Hospital in Saint Louis, where she also served as its first Chief Resident of Education. She was the recipient of the Irwin Levy Prize for Teaching and the Abdullah M. Nassief Award for Neurology. While at Washington University, she researched the molecular and genetic mechanisms of Parkinson disease. She completed her subspecialty Movement Disorders Fellowship at Stanford University. Dr. Andruska has served as Medical Director of the Movement Disorders Clinic at the Parkinson’s Institute and Clinical Center, where she also led a robust clinical research program. Currently, she serves as head of the California Movement Disorders Center and as a medical and scientific advisor for neurodegenerative therapeutics. At Adaptive Research, Dr. Andruska provides cross-therapeutic clinical support for upcoming & ongoing trials, in addition to those in movement disorders and neurodegenerative diseases.
Claude Nguyen, MD, MSEd
Consultant Director, Clinical Informatics
Claude Nguyen is a board-certified vascular neurologist with over 10 years of experience in stroke and cerebrovascular disease, program development, telemedicine, and clinical research. He is a founding physician partner of Bay Area Neurospecialists Group, and is affiliated with AHMC Seton Medical Center and Current Neurology Solutions. Previously, Dr. Nguyen served as Telestroke Director at Baylor Scott White Health in central TX, working to expand telemedicine to high-need rural areas in the most cost-effective manner possible while preserving high quality care. Prior to this, he was at the University of Pennsylvania, where he was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurology and served as Stroke Medical Director at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center. Through Penn, he also received a master’s degree in Medical Education, and founded a medical technology startup through the Penn Center for Innovation. Dr. Nguyen received his medical degree from the Medical College of Wisconsin, completed neurology residency at SUNY Downstate Medical Center, and completed a two-year NIH-sponsored vascular neurology fellowship at UT Houston.