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 Medical Research? (3:00) - Provides basic information about scientific research, the goals of research, and discusses how clinical research differs from medical care.
- Deciding to Participate in Clinical Trials Before Volunteering in 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.
- Questions to Ask Before Volunteering in Clinical Trials (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 Research Participants 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 What Patients Need to Know About 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 and Regenerative Medicine Products
The FDA is concerned that some patients seeking cures and remedies are vulnerable to stem cell and other regenerative medicine products that are illegal, marketed for unapproved uses outside of trials, and potentially cause harm. Stem cell and other regenerative medicine products require FDA approval or licensure to be marketed to consumers. Before approval, these products require FDA oversight in a clinical trial.
The FDA recommends that you make sure that any stem cell or regenerative medicine product you are considering is FDA-regulated. This means that the product is either FDA-approved and available through your healthcare provider or is being studied in a clinical trial under an investigational new drug application (IND) filed with the FDA. You can ask your healthcare provider or clinical trial staff to provide this information.
Please know that if you are being charged for or offered regenerative medicine products outside of a clinical trial, you are likely being deceived and offered a product illegally. FDA is aware that patients and consumers are being referred to ClinicalTrials.gov, or are told that a product is registered with FDA, as a way to suggest that the products being offered are in compliance with FDA laws and regulations. This is often false. The inclusion of a product in the ClinicalTrials.gov database or the fact that a firm has registered with FDA and listed its product does not mean the product is legally marketed.
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
- Important Patient and Consumer Information About Regenerative Medicine Therapies.
See the NIH's Stem Cell Information Clinical Trials & Other Information 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 the Alzheimers.gov Clinical Trials Finder. NIA'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 Information for Patients and Caregivers page to find information on NCI-support cancer trials, learn about the basics of cancer clinical trials and read about some of the major clinical trials and studies that NCI supports.
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.
Heart, Lung, Blood, or Sleep-related Diseases or Disorders
The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute provides information about studies involving patients who have heart, lung, blood, or sleep related diseases or disorders on its Clinical Trials page.
HIV/AIDS
HIVinfo.nih.gov and ClinicalInfo.HIV.gov, are services of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and maintained by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). These resources offer access to the latest federally approved HIV/AIDS medical practice guidelines, HIV treatment and prevention clinical trials, and other research information. Clinical info also features the HIV Clinical Treatment Guidelines, HIV Drug Database, and Glossary.
Mental Health
The National Institute of Mental Health's (NIMH) Clinical Trials - Information for 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 NEI's clinical trials and NEI education programs.
Other NIH Research Areas
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 clinical studies.
The NHGRI's Human Subjects 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. For more information, see the Clinical Research @ NIAMS page.
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.