How Research Works

Joining A Greater Cause

Every available medicine or treatment today was once a clinical trial; everything from headache medicine to acid-reflux pills to chemotherapy medications. Whether you are seeking a new treatment option or an opportunity to help others, participating in a clinical trial could benefit you, your community, and generations of people to come.

By joining Future of Medicine, you’ll be taking the first step to joining something bigger: a community of like-minded people who are actively taking control of their health and helping future generations by their participation in research.

Joining does not necessarily mean that there will be a clinical trial that is right for you. Nor does it mean that you are obligated to participate in clinical trials offered to you. The decision to opt in or out of specific research is always up to you.

What Is a Clinical Trial?

Clinical trials, clinical research, and clinical studies all mean the same thing. A clinical trial is a type of research that studies new potential treatments, tests, and ways to prevent disease. So what does the headache medicine in your cabinet, the latest cancer treatment, a flu shot all have in common? They all relied on people who chose to participate in a clinical trial.

Advance Science and Improve the Lives of Others

By joining a clinical trial, you will play a critical role in helping doctors and scientists find better ways to identify, prevent, and treat disease. Your involvement in a clinical trial directly contributes to advances in medical knowledge that can benefit other people facing similar health conditions in the future. Together, we can help more people live longer and healthier lives.

Benefits of Clinical Trials

Participating in a clinical trial is a contribution to the well-being of future generations, but it can also be beneficial to you. In a clinical trial, participants may receive new treatments that are only available as part of the trial. Furthermore, participating in a trial could have other benefits like increased health awareness and additional monitoring by clinical professionals and physicians during the trial.

Represent Your Community

Clinical trials help us learn how well medicines work and ensure they are safe to use. Factors such as ethnicity, ancestry, age, and sex could impact how different people respond to the same medicine. That's why it is important to include people from diverse backgrounds in every clinical trial. Having a representative and diverse group of clinical trial participants helps ensure that the treatments will be safe and effective for all communities.

Research Participant Protections

Multiple safeguards are in place to ensure the safety of clinical trial participants. For one, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) oversees all clinical trials testing new treatments. In addition, an Institutional Review Board (IRB) is dedicated to protecting participants.

Your rights as a research participant

You have many rights during a clinical trial, including the rights to:

  • Leave the trial at any time, for any reason
  • Ask questions about any part of the trial
  • Be informed on what the goal of the study is and what you can expect
  • Know who will have access to information about you
  • Be aware of all the risks and benefits 
  • Keep your identity confidential and understand how your information is being protected

The Clinical Trial Team

As a research participant, you may come across a number of people who play different roles in the study.

Clinical trials may have the following team members:

Patient Educator

A person who will meet with you before the trial begins to discuss all the details. You can ask them any questions you may have before you enroll in a trial.

Principal Investigator (PI)

This is the study doctor who is in charge of the trial. They oversee your care team and respond to any health issues that may occur during the study. PIs are fully qualified doctors who have additional training and experience in clinical research.

Clinical Research Coordinator (CRC)

A specialized healthcare professional who supports the PI in conducting research and helps you throughout the process. This is the team member you will interact with the most during and between your visits.

Sub-Investigator (Sub-I)

This is another study doctor who helps the Principal Investigator oversee your care team and respond to any health issues that may occur during the study. Sub-Is are fully qualified doctors who have additional training in clinical research. Many Sub-Is work in clinical research in addition to caring for their patients in their practice.

Patient Resource Partner

Mostly found in trials for cancer. This person can help you find financial assistance if needed. They may also help you:

  • Navigate copays and secure funding for regular drug costs.
  • Find need-based financial assistance for non-medical expenses, like childcare, pet care, or rent and utility assistance.
  • Arrange transportation if you need help getting to your study visit.
  • Remember what you need to do for the study and remind you with follow-up calls.
Your care team may also include other doctors, nurses, pharmacists, or medical specialists who support you during the clinical trial.

The Phases of a Clinical Trial

Clinical trials typically go through a number of phases, each serving a specific purpose. Understanding the phase of the trial you are being invited to participate in could be very important in helping you determine if that trial is right for you. Here is an overview of the different phases of a clinical trial.

Phase
1
Focus is on safety. Treatment is tested with a small number of volunteers.
Phase
2
Tests for safety, effectiveness and side effects, also with a small number of volunteers, but typically more than in Phase 1.
Phase
3
Compares the new treatment to existing treatments available, this time with a much larger number of volunteers.
Phase
4
The treatment has been approved and made available, but researchers are looking for long-term benefits and side effects.

Most of the clinical trials that Care Access offers are Phase 3 trials, which means the potential new treatment has already been tested in earlier phases by other groups of people. In Phase 3, the study drug has already been successfully tested by a small number of participants in the earlier phases for safety, effectiveness, and side effects, and is now ready for a larger number of participants to test it before it can be approved for everyone.

Phase 3 trials are the largest and usually the longest stage. At this point, the potential new treatment has already been tested on many groups of people, for years.

In essence, you are one of many participating in a clinical trial — and your involvement matters, both for you and your community.

Interested in Potentially Participating in a Clinical Trial?

Get a no-cost heart and kidney screening and see if you qualify for a clinical trial.

Clinical Trial FAQs