Clinical Trials
Clinical trials are organized efforts by clinical investigators to evaluate the usefulness (efficacy) and the safety of an intervention (e.g. drug, surgery, etc.) to prevent an illness or disorder, to stop its progression, to eliminate (cure) it, or to improve lost function. Persons participating in clinical trials may receive either the intervention being studied or another approach for comparative purposes. When considering being a participant in a clinical trial, the person needs to understand the potential benefits of the intervention, the potential dangers of the intervention and the clinical, ethical and legal responsibilities of both the investigator to the participant and of the participant to the investigator.
Clinical trials are often conducted by investigators in universities, hospitals or clinics. The funds necessary are usually provided to the investigator by the government (e.g. NIH), a Foundation or Society (e.g. UCP), or a commercial organization (e.g. a pharmaceutical company). The UCP Research and Educational Foundation provides funds to investigators for the development and pilot phase of clinical trials to prevent cerebral palsy or to improve function due to developmental brain damage. The Foundation itself does not conduct clinical trials. Persons interested in being a participant in a clinical trial can usually get the information needed from their physicians or from a university or major hospital cerebral palsy clinic.
Note: Clinical trials are reported to UCP with a request from the sponsor that the trial be listed. The usual reason is that the sponsor is seeking additional participants in the trial. Unless otherwise noted, UCP does not endorse any specific clinical trial but instead is providing the information as a public service.