Basket Trial
A clinical trial that tests a single drug in multiple diseases or conditions that share a common biological feature. Basket trials are increasingly used in oncology and could be relevant to peptide drugs that target receptors expressed across multiple tumour types.
Technical Context
Basket trials test a single treatment across multiple disease subtypes that share a common molecular feature. For example, a somatostatin analogue could theoretically be tested in a basket trial across different NET subtypes (pancreatic, small bowel, pulmonary) that all overexpress SSTR2. The statistical challenge is that efficacy may vary across subtypes — basket trials must balance testing within each basket against borrowing strength across baskets. Bayesian hierarchical models can share information between baskets while allowing for heterogeneity. Basket designs are most common in oncology but the concept applies to any drug targeting a specific receptor or pathway expressed across multiple conditions.