UCLA's antibody-drug conjugate trial in non-small cell lung cancer. The story here is biomarker gating — HER2 and TROP2 eligibility filters dramatically narrow the enrolled pool, and the ADC competitive landscape means sites are fighting for the same patients across multiple protocols simultaneously.
The ADC enrollment crunch: As of 2026, there are 14+ active ADC trials recruiting in NSCLC with HER2 or TROP2 eligibility criteria. At academic centers like UCLA, patients who fit one often fit several — creating direct competition for a narrow biomarker-selected pool. Without active matching, sites default to first-come-first-served and miss eligible patients already in their own EHR.
Trial fact panel — sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov
NCT ID
NCT05439876
Sponsor
UCLA / Jonsson CC
Indication
NSCLC (ADC)
Phase
Phase II
Target N
~80
Sites
UCLA + referral network
Status
Recruiting
Key Biomarkers
HER2 / TROP2
Setting
Academic + community
Trial design: Phase II ADC study in previously treated NSCLC with HER2 overexpression or TROP2 positivity. Biomarker selection is the dominant eligibility gate — IHC and NGS confirmation required before screening, which adds a lab turnaround step that doesn't exist in non-biomarker trials. UCLA's community referral network (Valley Presbyterian, Olive View, Santa Monica) extends reach but adds coordination overhead.
74
High Risk
Enrollment Risk Score: 74 / 100
UCLA NSCLC ADC scores High Risk. The HER2/TROP2 biomarker gate narrows the eligible NSCLC pool by ~65% before any other eligibility criterion is applied. In an environment where 14+ competing ADC trials are recruiting nationally, early capture of biomarker-positive patients is the difference between on-time and a 6–9 month extension.
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Top 3 risk drivers
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HER2 / TROP2 biomarker competition
NSCLC patients who test HER2+ or TROP2+ are simultaneously eligible for multiple ADC trials. At UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, CRCs are managing 5–8 active biomarker-selected protocols. Without automated pre-screening, the soonest-contacted trial wins — regardless of which is the best fit for the patient.
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Lab turnaround as a screening bottleneck
IHC and NGS biomarker confirmation typically takes 7–14 business days. Without proactive identification of patients likely to test positive — before results return — sites lose 2 weeks of enrollment calendar per candidate. Syncra flags likely-positive patients based on prior pathology and treatment history so outreach starts before the lab result lands.
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Community referral latency
UCLA's community oncology affiliates (Valley Presbyterian, Olive View, others) see a high volume of unselected NSCLC patients — but referral to the academic center for ADC trials depends on community oncologist awareness. Manual outreach to referring physicians takes weeks. Syncra surfaces eligible patients already in community practice EHRs before the referring physician thinks to escalate.
ADC trials in NSCLC frequently amend biomarker cutoffs as early efficacy data comes in. What happens when the HER2 IHC positivity threshold shifts from 3+ to 2+/3+?
Current criteria (HER2 3+ only)
52%
Screen-fail rate under strict HER2 3+ gate
14 days
Manual re-screen time across referral network
~18
Eligible patients per site at current criteria
Amended (HER2 2+/3+ allowed)
31%
Screen-fail rate with expanded biomarker gate
<24h
Syncra re-match across EHR + referral network
~29
Eligible patients surfaced with expanded criteria
↑ +11 patients/site on amendment
Across UCLA's referral network (4–6 community sites), that's 44–66 additional enrollable patients surfaced within 24 hours of an amendment — vs. 14 days of manual re-screening. In a competitive ADC landscape, those patients don't wait 2 weeks.
Multi-Site Coordinator — UCLA + community oncology referral network
UCLA academic center plus 5 affiliated community oncology sites. Biomarker-positive NSCLC patients are distributed across the network — Syncra routes them to the right ADC trial before they're contacted by a competing protocol.
⚡Syncra's coordinator identifies likely HER2/TROP2-positive patients across all 6 sites before lab results confirm, so outreach initiates the moment results return — not after 5 days of CRC chart review. At current ADC competition levels, early contact wins enrollment.
Reduction in eligible NSCLC pool from HER2/TROP2 gate before other criteria
+11
Patients per site surfaced within 24h when HER2 criteria expand to 2+/3+
14+
Competing ADC trials recruiting in NSCLC with overlapping biomarker eligibility
Want this for your full ADC portfolio?
Biomarker-gated trials need active patient matching — passive referral doesn't work when 14 competing trials are contacting the same patients. See what Syncra does across your active NSCLC and ADC protocols.
Data sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov + Tufts CSDD benchmarks + industry ADC enrollment analyses. Enrollment risk score and patient counts are model outputs based on publicly available trial parameters and biomarker prevalence data; they are not clinical assessments. Syncra has no formal relationship with UCLA or the UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center.