About Clinical Trials - American Diabetes Association
Participation in Clinical Research by Evan D. Rosen, M.D., Ph.D, Medical Director, Diabetes, Veritas Medicine
The history of diabetes is rich with examples of the importance of clinical trials. Indeed, one of the most dramatic moments in medical history involved a research study testing a newly discovered hormone called insulin. Frederick Banting and Charles Best injected pancreatic extracts into a 14-year-old boy named Leonard Thompson, who lay dying of diabetes in a Toronto hospital in 1922. Amazingly, the boy's high blood glucose levels improved, and he lived for an additional thirteen years. Further refinements in insulin and other drugs have led to even longer survival; all of these innovations had to be tested in humans before scientists and physicians could be sure that they worked.
Today, a patient diagnosed with type 1 diabetes can choose from a variety of insulin formulations, and patients with type 2 diabetes can choose from a rapidly expanding armamentarium of oral drugs. New developments are on the horizon, ranging from inhaled insulin to islet transplantation, and from gene therapy to stem cells. These will need to be formally tested in rigorous clinical trials before they can become part of the daily lives of people with diabetes.
If you have diabetes, the benefits of joining a clinical trial are several-fold. A trial might be the only way to obtain a new cutting-edge drug or procedure, and patients on trials often receive free expert advice about taking care of their diabetes. Finally, there is the satisfaction of knowing that because of your efforts, we will better understand diabetes, and you will have contributed in a real way to making diabetes a thing of the past.
New Treatments and Enrollment Opportunities
The American Diabetes Association and Veritas Medicine are partnering to bring you information on clinical trials, and to provide access to clinical trials currently enrolling diabetes patients.
Frequently Asked Questions about Clinical Trials
Background
What are clinical trials?
Why do people participate in clinical trials?
Safety
How are people who are involved in trials protected?
Are there risks in clinical trials?
Pre-enrollment Information
What questions should be asked about a clinical trial?
What is "informed consent"?
What are eligibility criteria (inclusion and exclusion criteria)?
Can clinical trial participants leave a trial?
Drugs and Placebos
Will I know if I receive a placebo?
What is a blind or masked trial?
Why are patients enrolled in some clinical trials "randomized"?
Clinical Trial Phase
What are the different phases of clinical trials?
How are clinical trials conducted?
Who pays for the treatment in a clinical trial?
Your Doctor and the Clinical Trial
Is a referral from my physician required for participation in a clinical trial?
Can clinical trial participants still see their regular doctor?
What happens to the trial data?
Additional Resources
Clinical Trials News
Learn more about exciting research studies.
ClinicalTrials.gov
ClinicalTrials.gov provides regularly updated information about federally and privately supported clinical research in human volunteers. ClinicalTrials.gov gives you information about a trial's purpose, who may participate, locations, and phone numbers for more details.
The content on this page was written by Dr. Marc Engelsgjerd and Michael D'Agostino of Veritas Medicine.
