Research : Clinical Trials & Studies

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Clinical Trials FAQs

What Is a Clinical Trial?

Clinical trials are regulated, health-related medical research conducted in order to answer a question related to health care. They can result in the discovery of better ways to detect, or even the prevention and cure of diseases and illnesses. They are also used to determine the safety and effectiveness of new drugs or treatments.

Why Participate In a Clinical Trial?

By volunteering to participate in a clinical trial, you help to discover medical and scientific advances in health care, and further the knowledge required to bring medicine into the future. Volunteers may have access to new drugs, medical devices and procedures, and expertise before they are widely available, as well as care from medical experts throughout the trial.

Who Can Participate?

It depends on the nature of the clinical trial. All trials have criteria they follow to determine who may participate to get the most reliable results, and to best answer the questions the researchers are asking.

Are There Risks in Participating?

There may be side effects from experimental treatments, or the treatment may not be effective for participants. To minimize the risk of side effects, volunteers are closely monitored during clinical trials.

How Are Participants' Rights and Safety Protected?

Participants never volunteer in a clinical study without Informed Consent. This is an ongoing process where the volunteer is given information throughout the clinical trial, so that they may make an informed decision about participation/continued participation. Also, legal and ethical constraints safeguard volunteers, and ensure that their physical safety and personal privacy is maintained.

Can a Participant Leave a Clinical Trial Once It's Started?

Absolutely. Participants can withdraw from a study or trial at any time; when doing so, participants should inform the research team that they are leaving and why

How Can I Find Out About Clinical Trials at UB?

[Search for volunteer opportunities using the UB Clinical Trials Search database. New studies are being conducted all the time for both healthy volunteers and disease-specific trials. Needs content.]

Where Can I Find More Information About Clinical Trials?

The UB Institutional Review Board (IRB) provides a list of informative resources for research volunteers.

ClinicalTrials.gov provides patients, family members, and members of the public easy and free access to information on clinical studies for a wide range of diseases and conditions.

The National Cancer Institute provides accurate, up-to-date information about many types of cancer, information about clinical trials, resources for people dealing with cancer, and information for researchers and health professionals.

The National Institute of Health (NIH) defines the different types of research and describes the different phases or stages in research.