e-healthbeat: www.searchclinicaltrials.org

The Center for Information & Study on Clinical Research Participation (CISCRP) is a non-profit organization focused on educating and informing the public about clinical research participation. Clinical trials sometimes offer the last hope for sick patients and their families hunting for a cure for a serious illness.

Finding information about any of the hundreds of ongoing clinical trials in the U.S. can be extremely frustrating and time-consuming. CISCRP hopes to provide a public service by establishing a consolidated clinical trials web site at www.searchclinicaltrials.org. The site is expected to open on 8/1/06.

This free web site will link to more than 50 trial registries and let anyone find information on any trial within a set distance from his/her home by typing in the zip code.

Clinical trials are a key part of medical research. They are conducted by drug companies and government or academic researchers to study the safety or efficacy of experimental or approved drugs. Volunteers typically are found by physicians serving as researchers in the trials, but a growing number of patients seek trials on their own to try to find the latest treatments for their diseases.

In addition to the search function for clinical trials, the site contains Frequently Asked Questions for Patients & Families with questions such as:  What is informed consent? How is the safety of the participant protected? Can a participant leave a clinical trial after it has begun? What is a placebo?

For more information about clinical trials, check out www.searchclinicaltrials.org.