Let's talk medical research

Clinical trials are how researchers advance their knowledge about potential new treatments, including medications, medical devices, and lifestyle interventions. Clinical trials are divided into phases, each with a distinct duration, purpose, and number of volunteers needed. Before any new treatment becomes available on the market, it must go through this process, as required by the FDA.

Alexis Smith had eczema as an infant, but had lived a mostly itch-free childhood until hitting puberty at 12. That's when her symptoms came back.

The recruitment rate for clinical trials is calculated by multiplying the number of sites and randomized patients per site by the number of months of recruitment time. This number can also be reverse-engineered, starting with the number of randomized patients a trial needs.

On/off phenomenon in Parkinson's disease happens when the common treatment levodopa wears off and motor symptoms return, before it's time for your next dose. It’s critical to build awareness of these episodes and to understand the causes behind them.

From growing a career in clinical research to the latest fascinating innovations in biotech, clinical research podcasts can keep you informed and teach you something new.

Challenge 1: Unresponsive patients Your sites are receiving email addresses and phone numbers from patients who are apparently interested in your trial. But when the site reaches out to them to follow up about your trial? No response.

Like many people living with Crohn's disease, Tina Aswani Omprakash had trouble finding a treatment that would send her symptoms into remission.

November is Alzheimer's Awareness Month. It's no secret that Alzheimer's is one of the world's most challenging diseases, with limited treatment options – and none of them able to stop or reverse disease progression.

November is Family Caregivers Month. Around 34.2 million Americans have provided unpaid care to an adult 50 or older in the last 12 months. Of those, 15.6 million are caring for someone with Alzheimer's disease or other dementia.

Crohn's disease can be exhausting. But tired feelings may go beyond the stress of dealing with a chronic illness. Over a third of people with Crohn's disease may have anemia: low levels of red blood cells or hemoglobin, a protein in red blood cells that helps transport oxygen throughout the body, which causes symptoms like fatigue and weakness.