Participate in clinical studies

 

What are clinical trials?

Clinical trials are research studies that are done to determine if new treatments, or new ways of using existing treatments, are safe and effective ultimately to find new ways to improve health and health care. The safety and effectiveness of the new treatment is carefully studied in a laboratory before it is tested in human subjects. Clinical trials are critical to advances in health care because even if early laboratory research shows promise it cannot predict exactly how the treatment will work in people.

Not all clinical research involves the use of new treatments. Some clinical trials seek to understand the causes and consequences of different diseases.

Who may participate?

Adults or children may voluntarily participate. The studies are open to those with specific conditions or diseases as well as healthy individuals who wish to advance knowledge about the causes, progress, prevention and treatment of diseases.

Clinical trials enroll people who are similar in certain ways, depending on the purpose of the study. A study "protocol" defines who can join the study and describes the characteristics that people who enroll should have. These characteristics are called eligibility criteria. Eligibility criteria for a study may include a certain age group, gender, a person's general health, or certain risk factors.

Research studies in adults and children are permitted only after the person voluntarily agrees to participate. The potential research subject must be informed of the study's purpose, procedures, risks, benefits, alternatives, and other essential elements before making a decision to take part in the study. If the person decides to participate, he or she then signs a consent form. This process is called informed consent, and it lasts as long as the person is in the study. In other words, a participant can change his or her mind and leave a study at any time. If new information is learned during the course of the study that might affect the person's willingness to continue, this information would be conveyed to the participant.

How can I participate?

1.) Provided is a list of GCRC studies seeking volunteers. (Adobe .pdf)  Please contact the study coordinator (of the specific study) directly for more information.

2.) You can have your name and basic health information entered in to the GCRC recruitment database to be contacted for future research. When a GCRC study is initiated that you might be eligible for, the investigator would contact you directly. If interested, contact the Research Subject Advocate at creich@salud.unm.edu or call 272-6817.