Clinical study. Clinical trial. Clinical protocol. They all mean the
same thing--a scientific study of how a new medicine or treatment
works in people. Through clinical studies, doctors find new and
better ways to prevent, detect, diagnose, control, and treat
illnesses.
Ongoing studies at
UC Davis Medical Center
Ongoing studies at UCSF’s Memory and Aging Centers
For more information about clinical trials and studies please visit Clinicaltrials.gov.
ClinicalTrials.gov offers up-to-date
information for locating federally and privately supported clinical
trials for a wide range of diseases and conditions. A clinical trial
(also clinical research) is a research study in human volunteers to
answer specific health questions. Interventional trials determine
whether experimental treatments or new ways of using known therapies
are safe and effective under controlled environments. Observational
trials address health issues in large groups of people or
populations in natural settings.
ClinicalTrials.gov currently contains 84,878
trials sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, other federal
agencies, and private industry. Studies listed in the database are
conducted in all 50 States and in 172 countries ClinicalTrials.gov
receives over 50 million page views per month 65,000 visitors daily.
The U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH),
through its National Library of Medicine (NLM), has developed this
site in collaboration with the
Food and Drug Administration (FDA),
as a result of the FDA Modernization Act, which was passed into law
in November 1997. See the FDA document -
Guidance for Industry: Information Program on
Clinical Trials for Serious or Life-Threatening Diseases and
Conditions (March 2002).
You can learn more about this site from its
Frequently Asked Questions
and
Factsheet.
How can HD families help our researchers find a treatment/cure for
this mean disease?
Here's one big way: By participating in the studies and
trials.
It's up to you to connect with a center or clinic near you. These
are really nice folks who want to solve HD for you--for all of us!
Solving HD will take more than money and prayers--although we need a
lot of both of those---we need YOU to help by participating.
We understand that it's emotional to participate---but HD has got to
come to an end---we're all tired of losing our loved ones--good
people lost to this mean disease, and many times HD also ruins the
family in the process.