Clinical trials are medical research studies with research volunteers to evaluate the effects of a biomedical or behavioral intervention on health outcomes. Clinical trials are a means of developing treatments, medications, or new approaches for dealing with diseases and conditions.
There are strict rules for clinical trials, which are monitored by the National Institutes of Health, for trials that it funds, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. To participate in a trial at the NIH Clinical Center, there must be a trial currently underway and you must meet the requirements for the trial to become a research volunteer.
Once you know there is a trial that you may wish to join, you should learn more about the trial and the potential benefits and risks. For questions regarding participation that you might want to consider, visit Children and Clinical Studies.
About the NIH Clinical Center
The NIH Clinical Center is America's research hospital. In addition to being the largest hospital in the United States devoted entirely to clinical research, the NIH Clinical Center makes it possible to turn discoveries from the laboratory into new ways to diagnose, treat, and prevent disease.
Throughout the years, there have been many groundbreaking treatments and procedures pioneered at the NIH Clinical Center, including: chemotherapy, artificial mitral heart valve replacement surgery, use of immunotherapy to treat cancer, treatment of AIDS with AZT, gene therapy, and countless others.