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ERG’s mission is to provide the highest quality clinical trial execution across all clinical research phases to help sponsors.
Obesity research has rapidly emerged as one of the most dynamic fields in modern healthcare. With GLP-1-based therapies capturing global attention and metabolic disease emerging as a defining challenge of modern medicine, few organizations are as strategically positioned and scientifically grounded as Evolution Research Group (ERG) to progress this important area of research and development.
Established in 2013 by Lori Wright, who remains Chief Executive Officer, ERG began as a multidisciplinary research network committed to scientific excellence and operational precision. Since its founding, the company has driven research forward in psychiatry, neurology, analgesia, early-phase clinical pharmacology, metabolism, and endocrinology. Guided by Lori Wright’s vision, ERG was built to translate scientific insight into high-quality clinical execution while anticipating the evolving needs of the industry.
Under Lori Wright’s leadership, ERG has steadily expanded both its scientific depth and operational reach. The strategic addition of endocrinologist Dr. Sherwyn Schwartz, in 2018, followed by Chief Scientific Officer Clay Dehn, PhD(c), significantly bolstered the company’s foundation in metabolic and obesity research. As global attention shifted toward obesity, ERG was uniquely positioned- with the expertise, infrastructure, and foresight- to lead in this rapidly evolving therapeutic area.
Andria Chastain, President of ERG, characterizes the company’s evolution as both proactive and strategic.
GLP-1 therapies are already being studied for their potential benefits in addiction, Alzheimer’s and dementia. Given our experience in psychiatry and neurology, we are well-positioned to support sponsors as these compounds move into those therapeutic areas.
“We recognized early on that metabolic research would be pivotal to the future of healthcare, she explains. Our goal has always been to build a scientific foundation that evolves with industry needs.”
Under the scientific leadership of Clay Dehn, ERG plays an active role in shaping the national landscape metabolic and obesity research. As ERG’s representative to the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH) Biomarkers Consortium, Dehn serves on the Metabolic Disorders Steering Committee. Through these strategic collaborations, ERG continues to advance solutions to critical challenges in metabolic disorder drug development, with a particular focus on obesity.
With over two decades of leadership in endocrine and metabolic research, Clay Dehn, describes the field as one of constant evolution:
“Diabetes once defined the scope of metabolic research, followed by the emergence of fatty liver disease. We recognized early that obesity would become the dominant focus and proactively pivoted to ensure our capabilities aligned with our clients’ evolving needs.”
To ensure industry-leading support across all service lines, ERG established an internal Obesity Task Force composed of experts from medical and scientific affairs, operations, recruitment, and other core disciplines. Operating at both the strategic program and service-offering levels, the task force drives company-wide initiatives that enhance the design and integration of obesity and metabolic studies. By promoting consistency, efficiency, and scientific rigor across the network, the group strengthens ERG’s ability to anticipate sponsor needs and deliver cohesive, high-quality clinical support.
Among the task force’s key initiatives is Everybody Research, ERG’s proprietary digital participant-recruitment platform. Since its launch, the platform has expanded the company’s database of overweight and obese participant from 80,000 in 2024 to more than 200,000 in 2025- growing by approximately 10,000 new profiles each month. By directly connecting volunteers to relevant clinical studies, Everybody Research accelerates recruitment timelines, enhances demographic diversity, and improves the generalizability of study populations across ERG’s twenty wholly-owned clinical sites nationwide.
In parallel, ERG is advancing investigator development through its Obesity Medicine Certification initiative. Currently, seven physician-investigators across the network are either certified by the American Board of Obesity Medicine (ABOM) or actively pursuing certification. The program’s goal is to ensure at least one ABOM-certified investigator at each site, establishing a foundation of specialized expertise that supports the increasing complexity of obesity drug development.
ERG’s commitment to scientific discipline is exemplified by its Unified Site Methodology program, which standardizes training and clinical conduct across all locations. From anthropometric procedure- such as waist and hip circumference measurements performed to WHO or NHANES specifications- to complex pharmacodynamic assessments like indirect calorimetry and glucose clamps, protocols are harmonized to ensure data integrity and reproducibility.
"We recognized early that metabolic research would shape modern healthcare. Our goal has always been to build a scientific foundation that adapts with industry needs."
“Our Unified Site Methodology ensures consistency and rigor across every study we conduct,” says Andria Chastain, highlighting how ERG differentiates itself from other research networks.
As global obesity research continues to advance, one persistent challenge remains: maintaining data completeness and interpretability in long-duration trials. Missing data- often resulting from participant discontinuation or withdrawal can compromise the precision of treatment-effect estimates and delay the development of new therapeutic strategies. While this affects nearly every disease area, it is particularly pronounced in obesity trials where patients often have high elevated expectations for weight loss outcomes especially in light of the transformative impact of GLP-1 therapies.
To address the persistent challenge of missing data in long duration obesity trials, ERG is spearheading an interdisciplinary initiative to pioneer the use of digital twin technology in obesity drug development. This approach leverages individualized, model-based trajectories of weight and related outcomes to serve as robust comparators when observed data are incomplete. By enhancing analytical precision and reducing bias, digital twins offer a scientifically grounded, regulatory-aligned solution to mitigate the impact of missing data. This initiative reflects ERG’s commitment to innovation and its collaboration with leading technology partners to strengthen data integrity and improve the reliability of trial outcomes.
Alongside digital innovation, ERG continues to refine its Unified Site Methodology through internal research. The company is validating an enhancement to improve repeatability of standardized anthropometric measures, including waist and hip circumference. This reflects ERG’s commitment to advancing clinical precision and harmonized methodology across its network.
Together, these efforts embody ERG’s philosophy that research should not only advance science but also improve how science is conducted. Through collaboration, innovation, and methodological rigor, ERG continues to shape the future of obesity and metabolic research drug development.
As ERG’s leadership in metabolic and obesity research grows, its multidisciplinary expertise positions the organization to explore adjacent therapeutic frontiers. Incretin-based therapies, now central to obesity treatment, are increasingly being studied for potential benefits in neurological and psychiatric disorders-areas where ERG also has deep clinical experience. This convergence of metabolic and neurobehavioral capabilities offers a distinct advantage, enabling ERG to support sponsors pursuing cross-disciplinary development programs.
“GLP-1 therapies are already explored for potential benefits in addiction, Alzheimer’s and dementia,” notes Clay Dehn. “With our experience in psychiatry and neurology, ERG is well-positioned to support sponsors as these compounds expand into new therapeutic areas.”
ERG’s organizational structure supports its evolving focus, operating across five therapeutic pillars: psychiatry, neurology, metabolism and endocrinology, early-phase clinical pharmacology, and analgesia. Each area is led by dedicated medical and operational experts, enabling ERG to identify cross-therapeutic insights- particularly at the intersection of metabolic and neurological sciences.
Beyond execution, ERG actively contributes to scientific advancement through global forums. The company has presented findings on the neurocognitive effects of incretin therapies at the American Diabetes Association and Obesity Week. These engagements help shape dialogue on emerging trends in metabolic and neurobehavioral research, fostering collaboration among academia, industry, and regulators to advance therapeutic innovation.
ERG’s next phase of growth is centers on scalability and scientific depth. With a robust research pipeline projected over the next three years, the company aims to expand its obesity and metabolic capabilities while upholding the rigorous standards that define its success.
The Scientific Leadership Team (SLT)- comprising industry experts, key opinion leaders, and principal investigators- plays a central role in this effort. Meeting twice weekly, the SLT evaluates new projects from both scientific and operational perspectives, ensuring every study aligns with ERG’s core principles: data integrity, participant safety, and measurable scientific value.
ERG’s evolution demonstrates how an organization can anticipate industry shifts and build enduring leadership through foresight, collaboration, and scientific focus. By integrating medical expertise with technology and patient-centered design, ERG is advancing metabolic and obesity research while shaping the future of clinical innovation.
ERG’s mission is to provide the highest quality clinical trial execution across all clinical research phases to help sponsors.
