A clinical trial is a medical research study conducted on human subjects to evaluate and answer specific questions about a potential treatment for use in patient care. Researchers conduct clinical trials to determine the safety and effectiveness of new vaccines and drugs or other therapies that are new or being applied in a new way to treat a specific condition.

Clinical Trials are Not Proven Treatment

Clinical trials primarily are meant to benefit future patients. Researchers typically hope that people participating in a clinical trial will be helped by the research -- and information from other clinical trials might suggest that a benefit is possible or even likely. Clinical trials are performed to test the potential value of a therapy and they do not offer proven treatment to the subjects involved.

Clinical trials are performed after careful scientific research has been conducted in the research lab and animal studies are completed with promising results, indicating a potential benefit to humans. This process of lab-to-human investigation is often referred to as “bench-to-bedside” research.

Participation is Voluntary

Participation in clinical trials is voluntary. Subjects can discontinue participation at any time without affecting their relationships with the researchers, medical staff or employees involved in the clinical trials.

More Information

Whether or not to participate in a clinical trial is an important and personal decision. This site is designed to answer basic, general questions about clinical trials. Before formally agreeing to participate in a clinical trial, potential participants are screened and educated to make sure they are the right candidates. People sign up for clinical trials to be proactive in their health care, to explore new research treatments before they are made available to the public, and to contribute to scientific knowledge and help others.

Check our Frequently Asked Questions to discover general information about clinical trials.