Henry Ford Health in Detroit and Bayer, a global life sciences company, have announced a strategic partnership to expand clinical trial opportunities for patients.
The work brings together Bayer’s global drug development expertise with Henry Ford Health’s clinical research program and its connection to the communities it serves.
“Clinical trials are often the first opportunity patients have to access cutting-edge treatments,” says Dr. David Lanfear, chief scientific officer at Henry Ford Health.
“Through this collaboration, we aim to make clinical research more accessible, reduce barriers to participation, accelerate the development of new treatments, and ensure that more patients have the opportunity to benefit from medical innovation.”
Initial efforts will focus on several key areas that align with Bayer’s growing pipeline and product offerings:
- Cardiovascular and renal disease, including thrombosis, heart failure, stroke, and chronic kidney disease
• Oncology, including advanced cancers and targeted therapies
• Women’s health, including treatments for menopausal symptoms and gynecologic conditions
Together, the organizations will collaboratively work across the full clinical trial process, using data and technology to design smarter trials. Patients will be able to access novel treatments sooner by reducing barriers to participation.
“Bayer is consistently exploring new avenues that can help more patients with diseases or health conditions that impact millions of people across the world,” says Christoph Koenen, head, clinical development and operations at Bayer.
“We share this commitment to patients and advancing drug discovery with likeminded institutions like Henry Ford Health that can help reduce barriers to accessing investigational or potential new treatments right in the very communities where patients are already receiving their care.”
The partnership will add more areas of medicinal research as time goes on. Beyond clinical trials, the organizations plan to work together in areas such as:
- Using AI, analytics, and electronic health record data to improve trial design and patient identification
- Generating real-world evidence to better understand how treatments perform
- Supporting training and innovation in healthcare data science
The partnership reflects a shared commitment to advancing clinical research in ways that are faster, more inclusive, and more accessible for patients.
Henry Ford Health is one of only four academic health systems in the U.S. selected to work with Bayer in the strategic research model, reflecting its clinical expertise, integrated care network, diverse patient population, and track record in clinical research.
In July, Bayer announced its first strategic alliance with the University of Colorado Anschutz, UCHealth, and Children’s Hospital Colorado to advance drug development and clinical trials.
“This partnership builds on Henry Ford Health’s longstanding leadership in clinical research and creates new opportunities to bring innovative studies to our patients,” Lanfear says. “By combining our expertise with Bayer’s global research capabilities, we can help advance treatments in areas that matter most while ensuring research reflects the needs of the diverse communities we serve.”
Serving communities across Michigan and beyond, Henry Ford Health is a premier healthcare organization dedicated to helping people live their best lives. More than 50,000 team members provide care and service at hundreds of locations, offering everything from primary, preventive and urgent care to specialized treatment, health coverage, pharmacy and vision services, home health, and virtual care.
Henry Ford Health is also an academic health system advancing the future of medicine through innovation, clinical trials, translational research, and the education of health care professionals.
The health system’s clinical research is part of Henry Ford Health + Michigan State University Health Sciences, accelerating discovery across biomedical and population health research while training the next generation of health care providers and scientists.
For more information, visit henryford.com/.
