Clinical Research and Clinical Trials seem to come with an ‘experimental’ vibe. Although that’s the literal perception, being apart of a clinical trial is incredibly important in the advancement of modern medicine. At Regeneris Medical , we believe that this stage of discovery is the foundation for all advancements in healthcare. 3 key reasons below explain just how important your participation in clinical trials are for the continued improvement and change of medicine.
Discover new or evaluate the existing intervention
One of the biggest recognitions for the purpose of clinical trials is the discovery of new medications. For any medication on the market, at one point, it had to undergo the ‘step’ of a clinical trial. In order for a drug to even be available for prescribers and users, the FDA has a grueling 5 step process by which any new medication must pass. Step 3 is clinical research. Before the drug is even considered to be tested with humans, it has to pass both In Vivo and In Vitro testing to determine if the drug is too toxic to be tested on people. The discovery of new medications isn’t the only breakthrough for Clinical Trials; medical devices and therapies for the pre-existing condition are also at the top of the list. For instance, Chemotherapy was morbidly discovered by two Pharmacologists who were called upon by the United States government in response to Germans using chemical warfare (mustard gas in particular) in World War I. Although quite the long story, you can see how the evolution of medicine is truly and highly dependent on clinical research.
Uncover new or evaluate the existing ways of prevention
Besides pills or therapies, major breakthroughs for prevention techniques, like vaccines, also have a dominance in the forever changing face of medicine. The first vaccine was performed by Edward Jenner in Berkeley, England in the 1770’s for Smallpox. Back in those times, Smallpox was today’s cancer. Being a brilliant man that he was, Jenner tested the “vaccine” by exposing an 8 year old boy to an opened, smallpox wound on a milkmaid’s hand. The 8 year old boy was then exposed again to an opened, smallpox wound, 6 weeks later, and was unaffected. Nowadays, clinical trials aren’t as barbaric. One of the most recent vaccines to hit the market was Gardasil, or the HPV shot. The vaccine was created on behalf of Harald zur Hausen, a German researcher who helped prove that a genital HPV infection can lead to cervical cancer. At the University of Queensland, Australia the vaccine was then developed and in 2006 the FDA approved it’s use for prevention. Of course, like mentioned above, the FDA has a multi-step process, including the use to test on human subjects, prior to a vaccine’s approval.
Bring to light new ways to improve the quality of life
Without the use of medicine, therapies or preventions, we can assume the quality of life would be pretty poor. Remember the last time you had the flu? Think of what you took to help ease the symptoms or reduce the fever. Although it’s hard to visualize a world with no medicine, it’s not all that difficult to imagine how miserable we would be. The human body can only combat so much without the help of another agent. Improving the quality of life is as simple as taking an over the counter medicine, like Ibuprofen, to rid a headache or as complicated as radiation therapy for a brain tumor. At the beginning of each lies clinical trials that harvest valuable results in order to improve your health and well-being.
Regeneris Medical’s Clinical Research Division is devoted to make strides against various conditions. We have a vast list of disorders that we are proud to be apart of in the fight against. If you are interested in our current clinical studies, contact us at 855-734-3678 to learn more and potentially be apart in the changing face of medicine.