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Other Sites About Clinical Studies

The following Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP), National Institutes of Health (NIH), and U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) websites provide information about clinical studies, drug development, and other health care issues.

Before participating in a clinical study, talk to your health care provider and learn about the risks and potential benefits. Read the ClinicalTrials.gov disclaimer for details.

Contents

General Information

About Research Participation

OHRP helps to protect the rights, welfare, and wellbeing of research volunteers. Visit OHRP's About Research Participation public outreach page to watch a series of short videos about research participation and print a list of questions to ask researchers. Videos include:

  • What is Research? (3:00) - Provides basic information about scientific research, the goals of research, and discusses how clinical research differs from medical care.
  • Clinical Trials (4:20) - Discusses the types of human research, with a focus on clinical trials, and explains common terms that potential participants should know.
  • Participating in Research: Questions to Ask (4:44) - Emphasizes that participating in research is voluntary and encourages potential participants to ask questions and get the information they need to decide whether to participate.

Visit OHRP's Regulations to Protect Volunteers in Research page to learn about U.S. federal regulations that protect people who participate in research, why we have them, and who enforces them.

NIH Clinical Research Trials and You

The NIH Clinical Research Trials and You website (page also available in Spanish) provides general information about participating in clinical research, with a focus on NIH-funded research.

MedlinePlus® Clinical Trials Information

MedlinePlus, a service of the National Library of Medicine, explains health topics in easy-to-understand language. Visit the Clinical Trials page (also available in Spanish) to learn more about clinical research and find answers to common questions.

Clinical Trials and FDA-Regulated Medical Products

The FDA is responsible for ensuring the safety and efficacy of drugs, biological, and device products in the U.S. Read more about the products the agency regulates, as well as information about clinical trials and the drug development process and medical device development process.

The FDA Informed Consent for Clinical Trials page describes the informed consent process, what information must be given to potential participants about the study before enrolling in a trial, and other important information for those considering participating in a clinical trial of an FDA-regulated product.

Visit the FDA 101: Clinical Trials and Institutional Review Boards page to learn about institutional review boards (IRBs), their purpose, and what IRBs consider when reviewing a proposed study.

Stem Cell Trials

The FDA is concerned that some patients seeking cures and remedies are vulnerable to stem cell products that are illegal and potentially harmful. The FDA recommends that you make sure that any stem cell product you are considering is FDA-regulated. This means that the product is either FDA-approved and available through your health care provider or is being studied in a clinical trial under an investigational new drug application (IND) filed with the FDA. You can ask your health care provider or clinical trial staff to provide this information.

Stem cell treatments and therapies that have been approved by the FDA are listed on FDA's Approved Cellular and Gene Therapy Products page.

Read more about FDA's concerns and advice in FDA Warns About Stem Cell Therapies.

See the NIH's Stem Cell Information Clinical Trials page for additional resources on stem cell research and therapies.

Selected Conditions Studied at NIH

Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism conducts various research studies at the NIH campus in Bethesda, MD.

Alzheimer's Disease

The National Institute on Aging (NIA) is the primary Federal agency supporting and conducting Alzheimer's disease research. NIA's Alzheimer's and related Dementias Education and Referral Center (ADEAR) provides information about Alzheimer's and other dementias.

Search for Alzheimer's studies through ADEAR's clinical trials finder. ADEAR's Clinical Trials page has information about clinical trials and questions to ask when you're considering if you should participate in a trial.

Cancer

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) is the U.S. Government's principal agency for cancer research and training. Most other U.S. Government agencies that conduct cancer research, such as the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, do so in partnership with NCI.

Visit NCI's Clinical Trials page to find information on cancer studies, read about noteworthy clinical studies, find resources for researchers, and browse the results of clinical studies by type of cancer.

Genetic and Rare Diseases

The Genetic and Rare Diseases (GARD) Information Center website provides information about research on rare diseases, including research supported by NIH.

HIV/AIDS

AIDSinfo, a service of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, offers access to the latest federally approved NIH/AIDS medical practice guidelines, HIV treatment and prevention clinical trials, and other research information. AIDSinfo enables users to search ClinicalTrials.gov for HIV/AIDS clinical trials.

Mental Health

The National Institute of Mental Health's (NIMH) Clinical Trials - Participants page helps users find research studies on mental health and disorders. NIMH's Frequently Asked Questions About Participating in NIMH-IRP Research Studies for Adults and Children page answers common questions from research study participants and potential participants.

Vision

The National Eye Institute (NEI) provides information about clinical trials in vision research and NEI education programs.

Other NIH Research Areas

Children and Clinical Studies

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute provides information about studies involving children on its Children and Clinical Studies page.

NIH Clinical Center

The NIH Clinical Center in Bethesda, MD, is the research hospital of NIH. The NIH Clinical Center website provides information for potential participants, their families, and doctors about participating in clinical studies at the center.

National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)

NCCIH studies focus on interventions such as dietary supplements for a variety of conditions. See the NCCIH Clinical Trials page for more information.

National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI)

NHGRI studies the human genome and genes to better understand and treat a variety of hereditary and genetic conditions. To browse NHGRI studies by condition, see the NHGRI page on current studies.

The NHGRI's Human Subjects in Genomic Research page describes considerations for those thinking about participating in genomic research, including considerations that are unique to genomic research.

National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)

Medical conditions studied by NIAMS include arthritis, lupus, and osteoporosis. See the NIAMS page on current studies at the NIH campus in Bethesda, MD.

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)

NIDDK studies kidney, urine, blood, digestive, metabolic, and endocrine diseases as well as diabetes and nutrition. See the NIDDK Clinical Trials page for more information.

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)

NIEHS supports and conducts studies to determine how exposure to chemicals and other agents in the environment may influence a variety of diseases. See the NIEHS page on clinical research for more information.

Learn More

  • Learn About Studies: Learn more about how and why clinical research is conducted.
  • How to Search: Learn how to find studies on ClinicalTrials.gov.
  • RSS Feeds: Learn how to find recently added studies on ClinicalTrials.gov.
This page last reviewed in December 2018