Mi-Trial ®

The clinical trial companion app

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About us

Mi-Trial is a clinical trial companion system and app. It has been designed to meet the needs of both trial participants and those managing trials, with important benefits for the integrity of the trial that help all partners. There are two major components: the patient-facing app, and the portal from which the trial scheduling is managed. 

  1. The app. This acts as a one-stop portal for all vital trial information, provides a schedule of trial visits that syncs with the subjects own smartphone diary, delivers reminders and information about visits at scheduled times, and has functions to store notes and information. It is safe and secure and can replace the multiple pieces of paper than trial participants need to file and use. With its smart scheduling and reminders it will help participants stick to visit schedules and follow important restrictions, reducing protocol deviations. Available for both Android and iOS.
  2. The portal allows flexible scheduling of study protocols, so that visit schedules can be automatically generated (and adjusted according to trial participant needs). Avoids scheduling errors and reduces deviations. Participants can be messaged via the portal, individually or in groups, which is more convenient for participants and saves staff time and effort.

The portal and app were developed by experts in trials design and delivery, working closely with experts in software design and usability. This combination of expertise gives Mi-Trial the flexibility and function required to meet the needs of trial participants and trial centre staff, as well as the usability required to make it an integral part of trial delivery. By improving the trials experience and protocol adherence for participants, this reduces visit errors and data wastage, saving time and costs for both trial centres and sponsors.

Benefits to participants

● Single repository for all trial information
● Scheduling tool to sync with own diary
● Reminders about restrictions and important information
● Access to trial contact details
● Ability to submit feedback to trial organisation

Available as iOS, Android and web-based app

Benefits to trial sponsors

● Enhance adherence to trial protocol
● Reduce protocol deviations, wasted visits and costs associated with this
● Maintain engagement with participant
● Easy to access and manage platform for reviewing participant details and mapped journey

Benefits to trial organisations

● One-stop scheduler
● User-friendly, flexible interface
● Allows a range of notifications to be sent to participants, reducing workload
● Single platform to manage much of trial experience (visit setup, communication with patients, sharing documents, monitoring participants)

Why Choose Us

The development team possess a range of essential expertise which we have brought to Mi-Trial. 
  • Professor Alex Horsley and Professor Jacky Smith are clinical academics  who between them have led and designed dozens of clinical trials.
  • The MEU is a MHRA accredited early phase clinical trials unit in Manchester. They have a wide experience in trial delivery and in developing digital patient management scheduling systems.
  • ELAROS is a Sheffield-based developer of medical apps, already partnered with a number of different NHS organisations, and currently leading the national roll-out of the C19-YRS long-covid symptom app. The platform has recently been awarded funding for research use in 10 sites as part of the LOCOMOTION NIHR project, as well as being adopted by over 27 NHS Trusts across the UK.
Our collective experience therefore spans the full breadth of the trials process. We have built Mi-Trial to address the needs of patients and trials organisations, with specific objectives of helping patients improve trial adherence. This is a vital part of trial integrity:  if a primary outcome is affected, this can cost potentially many thousands of pounds. The app was conceived to meet this need by being an essential aid to trial participants whilst the portal has been designed to cope with the full range of complex trial designs. These components have been brought together in a single, highly flexible, system which is easy to use and access.

Developed by clinical experts

The Mi-Trial team has input from NIHR Clinical Researchers, clinical academics, a trial organisation and a digital health company, to enhance the quality of our solution

Bespoke scheduling system

The Mi-Trial Portal allows trial sponsors or organisations to dynamically and intelligently configure a range of study structures thanks to a bespoke scheduling algorithm

100% Secure

Hosted on Amazon Web Services, Mi-Trial is a secure platform using 2-Factor Authentication (2FA) and other industry-leading cybersecurity standards

Improves quality of data

The restriction reminders and notifications in Mi-Trial reduce the number of erroneous or void study visits, improving study protocol adherence

Mi-Trial Collaborators
The Mi-Trial consortium

Our Experience

Clinical trials design and delivery (Professors Horsley & Smith)
Hosting and sponsoring of trials (The MEU)
Enhancing digital systems to meet & excel standards (ELAROS)

Meet the Team

Alex_headshot

Professor Alex Horsley
Chairman

Bio

Professor Alex Horsley

Chairman

Alex is a Professor of Respiratory Medicine at the University of Manchester, consultant at the Manchester Adult Cystic Fibrosis (CF) Centre, and CF academic lead for the NIHR Manchester Biomedical Research Centre. He is a director of the NIHR Manchester Clinical Research Facility at Wythenshawe Hospital, where he oversees trials activity in a wide range of specialties. He is responsible for initiating and maintaining one of the largest CF trials programs in the country, having led >20 trials of new therapies in CF since 2012 and making Manchester one of the leading sites for CF clinical trials internationally. He has been national or global lead on trials of several ground-breaking therapies, including transformative new CFTR modulator therapies. He has experience at all phases of clinical trials and has also designed and delivered clinical trials in acute COVID-19.

jacky_headshot

Professor Jacky Smith
Chief Scientific Officer

Bio

Professor Jacky Smith

Chief Scientific Officer

Jacky is a Professor of Respiratory Medicine at the University of Manchester and an Honorary Consultant at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust. She runs a multi-disciplinary research team which focuses on understanding mechanisms underlying pathological cough and a regional clinical service seeing patients with refractory chronic cough. She is also the Director of the NIHR Manchester Clinical Research Facility and Leads the Rapid Translational Incubator Theme of the NIHR Manchester Biomedical Research Centre.
paul_headshot

Professor Paul O’Brien
Chief Executive Officer

Bio

Professor Paul O'Brien

Chief Executive Officer

Professor Paul O’ Brien was appointed CEO of ELAROS 24/7 in April 2012. Paul has held senior posts in the private sector (Chief Executive), local government (Chief Officer), health (Director in West Essex NHS Trust) and education (Head of Department).

He has previous venture start-up experience having established the Essex Development and Regeneration Agency with a turnover of £8.5 million and funds under management of £15 million – employing 60 planners, economists, surveyors, bid writers and fund managers.

He has extensive experience of public sector transformation having externalised a local government service and more recently the externalisation of a £33 Million NHS Service. Paul also has broad non-executive board experience gained over a 15 year period and has completed the Institute of Directors Diploma in Company Direction. Paul’s work in business & management education in Russia and Bulgaria, in the 1990s, secured the Queen’s Anniversary Prizes for Higher & Further Education.

Paul is a visiting lecturer to the University of Surrey on its MBA & MSc Entrepreneurship programmes.

James McMunn
Chief Technology Officer

Bio

James McMunn

Chief Technology Officer

James has worked for 20+ years around a broad set of technologies and across a wide range of sectors, including; Health, Insurance, Finance, and Travel (The British Library, Jet2 and Confused.com).


James has worked on complex software projects, from building databases, assessing security risks, streamlining backend code to building cloud infrastructure.


Over the past four years James has been working with ELAROS on a range of health apps and on a web-based health commissioning platform.


James is the lead software developer for the Mi-Trial platform.

Izaak Walker
Commercialisation Manager

Bio

Izaak Walker

Commercialisation Manager

Izaak is the Commercialisation Manager at Mi-Trial and will be working on the commercialisation of the system. He will also be helping with marketing endeavours, drawing on his experience as the Graduate Product Development Manager at ELAROS.

Izaak joined in October 2025 as our Graduate Product Development Manager after graduating with a First Class Honours MEng Degree in Bioengineering, taking ownership of the Autonom–e product. With a distinct interest in the MedTech industry, during his degree’s integrated year in industry he worked at a global orthopaedic company assisting in the development, introduction, and sustainment of commercialised implants and instrumentation within a cross–functional team which played a pivotal role in driving innovation, ensuring regulatory compliance, and promoting a culture of continuous improvement within the company. As part of his role, he also worked directly within the New Product Introduction (NPI) team on the company’s new bespoke implant system and associated instrument set, working to achieve 510(k) clearance for US market penetration. Following his integrated degree, he has a verified passion for the research, design, and development of medical devices in preparation for market launch – a passion which is underpinned by his desire to improve patient wellbeing and outcomes.

Izaak aims to bring his experience of commercialisation, marketing, market research, and communications to his role at Mi-Trial.

Daniel Weatherill
Management Accountant

Bio

Daniel Weatherill

Management Accountant

Dan is a recent graduate from The University of Sheffield, studying Business Management. He particularly enjoyed the maths and data side of his course, exploring how software can assist with decision making. He also found a particular interest in the responsible business side of the course, such as Corporate Social Responsibility and Corporate Governance. This led to his decision to begin studying for CIMA’s CGMA qualification in August 2023, currently at the managerial level.

Toby Boud
R&D Manager

Bio

Toby Boud

R&D Manager

Aa

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Want to find out more, or get in touch?

Contact us

hello@mi-trial.com

The Langley Building, Southmoor Road,
Manchester, England,
M23 9QZ

Alex_headshot

Professor Alex Horsley
Chairman

Bio

Professor Alex Horsley

Chairman

Alex is a Professor of Respiratory Medicine at the University of Manchester, consultant at the Manchester Adult Cystic Fibrosis (CF) Centre, and CF academic lead for the NIHR Manchester Biomedical Research Centre. He is a director of the NIHR Manchester Clinical Research Facility at Wythenshawe Hospital, where he oversees trials activity in a wide range of specialties. He is responsible for initiating and maintaining one of the largest CF trials programs in the country, having led >20 trials of new therapies in CF since 2012 and making Manchester one of the leading sites for CF clinical trials internationally. He has been national or global lead on trials of several ground-breaking therapies, including transformative new CFTR modulator therapies. He has experience at all phases of clinical trials and has also designed and delivered clinical trials in acute COVID-19.

jacky_headshot

Professor Jacky Smith
Chief Scientific Officer

Bio

Professor Jacky Smith

Chief Scientific Officer

Jacky is a Professor of Respiratory Medicine at the University of Manchester and an Honorary Consultant at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust. She runs a multi-disciplinary research team which focuses on understanding mechanisms underlying pathological cough and a regional clinical service seeing patients with refractory chronic cough. She is also the Director of the NIHR Manchester Clinical Research Facility and Leads the Rapid Translational Incubator Theme of the NIHR Manchester Biomedical Research Centre.
paul_headshot

Professor Paul O’Brien
Chief Executive Officer

Bio

Professor Paul O'Brien

Chief Executive Officer

Professor Paul O’ Brien was appointed CEO of ELAROS 24/7 in April 2012. Paul has held senior posts in the private sector (Chief Executive), local government (Chief Officer), health (Director in West Essex NHS Trust) and education (Head of Department).

He has previous venture start-up experience having established the Essex Development and Regeneration Agency with a turnover of £8.5 million and funds under management of £15 million – employing 60 planners, economists, surveyors, bid writers and fund managers.

He has extensive experience of public sector transformation having externalised a local government service and more recently the externalisation of a £33 Million NHS Service. Paul also has broad non-executive board experience gained over a 15 year period and has completed the Institute of Directors Diploma in Company Direction. Paul’s work in business & management education in Russia and Bulgaria, in the 1990s, secured the Queen’s Anniversary Prizes for Higher & Further Education.

Paul is a visiting lecturer to the University of Surrey on its MBA & MSc Entrepreneurship programmes.

James McMunn
Chief Technology Officer

Bio

James McMunn

Chief Technology Officer

James has worked for 20+ years around a broad set of technologies and across a wide range of sectors, including; Health, Insurance, Finance, and Travel (The British Library, Jet2 and Confused.com).


James has worked on complex software projects, from building databases, assessing security risks, streamlining backend code to building cloud infrastructure.


Over the past four years James has been working with ELAROS on a range of health apps and on a web-based health commissioning platform.


James is the lead software developer for the Mi-Trial platform.