Sitero, a technology-enabled Clinical Research Organization (CRO), announced the acquisition of the AI assets and business of studyOS, the developer of Ash—the AI Clinical Trial Agent—marking a major milestone in its mission to advance AI-driven clinical development.
The acquisition positions Sitero as the industry’s first truly AI-enabled CRO through the launch of SiteroAI, an integrated platform combining Sitero’s Mentor eClinical suite with studyOS’s advanced AI technology. The initiative is designed to deliver measurable efficiency gains of 20–30% across the clinical development lifecycle, improving time-to-market, cost efficiency, and data quality for global trial sponsors starting in 2026.
By incorporating studyOS’s Ash platform, Sitero enhances its ability to provide intelligent automation throughout the entire clinical trial process—from study design and site activation to data review and closeout. Ash’s natural-language interface enables real-time querying, automation, and optimization of trial workflows, producing measurable gains across data management, clinical operations, and sponsor oversight.
The transaction strengthens Sitero’s portfolio of AI-driven tools, which aim to help sponsors make faster, data-backed decisions while reducing cycle times. As part of the integration, studyOS’s technical and AI engineering teams will join Sitero to ensure a seamless transition and sustained innovation.
Following the acquisition, Ellis Butterfield, the CEO of studyOS, has been appointed as Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Sitero, where he will oversee technology strategy and the integration of Ash into Sitero’s Mentor eClinical suite.
Through this move, Sitero continues to build on its strategy of merging regulatory-ready AI with operational excellence to create a unified, intelligent ecosystem for clinical research. The company aims to set a new industry benchmark for how AI and human expertise can collaborate to accelerate trial execution and enhance data integrity.
KEY QUOTES:
“We strongly believe in the potential for purpose-built AI to be a transformative tool for our industry. The studyOS platform is one of few solutions that have specifically built their AI intelligence from the ground up to solve key challenges in our industry. With this acquisition, I’m confident that our partners will not only get access to industry leading technology, but will also realize the cost-savings, efficiencies and quality improvements from our enhanced AI solutions.”
Sankesh Abbhi, CEO, Sitero
“Joining Sitero allows us to scale our AI vision across the full clinical trial lifecycle. Our team is passionate about how AI can enable novel workflows that truly impact study timelines. By combining our Ash platform with Sitero’s Mentor eClinical suite, we can deliver a unified, AI-powered environment that drives measurable efficiencies across data management, clinical operations, and sponsor oversight. Together, we’re not only advancing the pace of clinical research, but also redefining how technology and intelligence converge to streamline execution and decision-making for sponsors worldwide.”
Ellis Butterfield, CEO, studyOS (now Chief Technology Officer, Sitero)
