From Outsourcing to Orchestrating: The Clinical Mesh Playbook with Maria Expósito Lorido

Discover operational strategies to move beyond traditional clinical trial outsourcing—learn how the clinical mesh approach can optimize study speed, oversight, and cost efficiency for today’s clinical operations leaders.

GuestMaria Expósito Lorido (LinkedIn)Venture Partner, Vu Venture PartnersExtensive experience in clinical development, clinical trial outsourcing, and operational leadership within pharma/biotech

Episode OverviewThis live session from COG Europe in Amsterdam features Maria Expósito Lorido, a leading venture partner with hands-on experience designing and implementing innovative clinical outsourcing strategies. Maria offers a compelling presentation shifting the conversation from conventional CRO selection and outsourcing models to a new paradigm: sponsor-led orchestration through the clinical mesh playbook.

Listeners gain practical guidance on clinical operations best practices by contrasting traditional outsourcing with platform and ecosystem-based models. Maria reveals why most studies fall short on recruitment, what it costs, and how an orchestrated mesh of specialized partners can reduce delays and increase value for sponsors and patients alike.

Specific areas covered include how to tailor sourcing architecture to your study’s needs, which operational components to retain or externalize, and ways to apply clinical study optimization principles for faster, more flexible trial delivery. The episode also addresses implementation steps, measurable KPIs, and critical sponsor responsibilities in this emerging model.

Ideal for clinical operations, outsourcing managers, and vendor strategy professionals seeking to future-proof their approach to CRO selection and clinical trial outsourcing.

Key Moments00:03:00 – Why 80% of clinical studies miss recruitment targets and the financial impact of delays

00:05:00 – Comparing small, agile biotech teams vs large pharma R&D models for clinical trial delivery

00:06:55 – The Nvidia platform analogy: platform business models vs linear development pipelines

00:07:10 – Introduction to the “clinical mesh” model: moving from fixed structures to reconfigurable networks

00:08:33 – Three sourcing architecture types—full-service CRO, functional service provider, and clinical mesh—and when each works best

00:11:23 – Governance challenges and sponsor responsibilities under the mesh model