What is a Clinical Trial?

Clinical trials are intended to advance medical knowledge. Clinical trials are also called clinical studies or research studies. Clinical trials are the safest and most effective way to find new treatments and interventions and to improve health outcomes.

Clinical trials may be conducted to determine if a new agent or device is safe and effective for people to use. Sometimes clinical trials are conducted to discover new ways of using existing treatments, or to compare existing treatments to find out which is better.

Types of clinical trials include:

• Treatment studies to test new agents, combinations of drugs or new ways to perform medical procedures or interventions
• Prevention studies that evaluate better ways to prevent diseases, or to prevent a disease from coming back (for example: vaccines, behavioral interventions or medicines
• Diagnostic studies are performed to find better methods for diagnosing a disease or condition
• Quality of Life studies explore and evaluate ways to improve comfort and quality of life for people with chronic illnesses or conditions

For additional inquires, contact JCTOSRC@med.cornell.edu.