Accel Research Sites

A: Clinical research and clinical trials look at new ways to prevent, detect, or treat disease. Clinical trials can study:

• New drugs or new combinations of drugs
• New ways of doing surgery
• New medical devices
• New ways to use existing treatments
• New ways to change behaviors to improve health
• New ways to improve the quality of life for people with acute or chronic illnesses

The goal of clinical trials is to determine if these treatments, prevention, and behavior approaches are safe and effective. People take part in clinical trials for many reasons. Healthy volunteers say they take part to help others and to contribute to moving science forward. People with an illness or disease also take part to help others, but also to possibly receive the newest treatment and to have added or extra care and attention from the clinical trial staff. Clinical trials offer hope for many people and a chance to help researchers find better treatments for others.

A: Clinical research allows medical professionals to gain insights and answers about the safety and effectiveness of treatments and procedures. Groundbreaking scientific advances in the present and the past were possible only because of the participation of volunteers, both healthy and those with an illness, in clinical research.

Clinical research requires complex and rigorous testing in collaboration with communities that are affected by the disease. As research opens new doors to finding ways to diagnose, prevent, treat, or cure disease and disability, clinical trial participation is essential to help us find the answers.

A: Many different types of people take part in clinical trials. Some are healthy, while others may have medical conditions. Participants may be all ages, from infants to the older adults. All clinical trials have certain criteria that must be met to be eligible. Call to speak to one of our specialized recruiters or medically trained staff to see if you may qualify for any of our clinical trials. If you don’t qualify for a current trial, we can keep your information for future participation.

A: Yes, at the completion of study visits you will be compensated for you time and travel. Compensation varies per trial and per type of visit. Your compensation will be clearly marked and explained in your study Informed Consent (ICF) at the start of your trial. A copy of your ICF will be provided to you for reference and you can contact our site staff for any questions or concerns regarding your payments and payment cards at any time.

A: Informed consent is the process of providing you with key information about a research study before you decide whether to participate. To help you decide whether to take part, members of the research team will explain the details of the study. If you do not understand English, a translator or interpreter may be provided. During the informed consent process, the study team, including the physician overseeing the trial will discuss with you the risks and benefits associated with being a volunteer. They will share with you details about the study such as known safety information, the purpose of the trial, how long it is expected to last, any tests or procedures that will be done along with the expectations for you as a participant.

You can then decide whether to sign the document. Included on the informed consent form is contact information if you have any further questions, but we hope your clinical trial team will be able to answer them all for you. It is important to know that participating in a clinical trial is always voluntary, and you may leave the study at any time.

A: Clinical trials are approved and monitored by an Institutional Review Board (IRB) to ensure that the risks are reduced and are outweighed by potential benefits. IRBs are committees that are responsible for reviewing research to protect the rights and safety of people who take part in research, both before the research starts and as it proceeds.