At Johns Hopkins, our researchers conduct clinical trials and clinical studies to discover new ways to prevent and treat diseases and other health problems. By participating in a research study, you can help advance this work, which will help others facing similar conditions and improve healthcare in your community.
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Select a category below to see all research studies within that category.
Clinical Research for a Happier Tomorrow
FAQs
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Clinical trials are research studies that investigate whether new medical treatments are safe and work well. Some people in the study might get a placebo, which is a substance that doesn’t have any medical effect, or they might get a treatment that is already approved. This helps compare the new treatment to the existing one.
Learn more about clinical research.
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Observational studies are research studies that monitor and measure results in a group of people without trying to change anything. Sometimes, this is done by having people fill out a survey or take part in an interview.
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Clinical trials for cancer test new treatments in people who have cancer. The tested treatments may include new drugs, new approaches to surgery or radiation therapy, new combinations of treatments, or new methods to manage side effects of treatments.
The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins is on the forefront of cancer research, conducting numerous clinical trials and other research studies.
For more information:
- About cancer clinical trials at the Kimmel Cancer Center
- Understanding the Benefits of Clinical Trials for Cancer
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Treatment trials
Treatment trials test the safety and effectiveness of new treatments, such as medications, surgical procedures and new ways to combine existing treatments.
Prevention trials
Prevention trials study health interventions such as vaccines, medications, lifestyle practices and habits that physicians think may affect one’s risk of disease. These studies look for the best ways to prevent illness or a return of illness, often in people who are at high risk for developing the condition.
Screening trials
Screening trials look for the most effective ways to detect, diagnose and monitor disease. For example, studies of mammography show that women of a certain age who had mammograms were less likely to die of breast cancer. These trials are important for developing ways to detect a disease or condition in its earliest stage, when it is most treatable.
Learn more about clinical research goals.
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Clinical trials are conducted in a series of steps called phases. Each phase has a different purpose and helps researchers answer different questions.
- Is the medication safe and what is the right dose? Phase one trials involve small numbers of participants, often normal volunteers.
- Does the new medication work and what are the side effects? Phase two trials test the treatment or procedure on a larger number of participants. These participants usually have the condition or disease that the treatment is intended to remedy.
- Is the new medication more effective than existing treatments? Phase three trials have even more people enrolled. Some may get a placebo (a substance that has no medical effect) or an already approved treatment, so that the new medication can be compared to that treatment.
- Is the new medication effective and safe over the long term? Phase four happens after the treatment or procedure has been approved. Information about patients who are receiving the treatment is gathered and studied to see if any new information is seen when given to a large number of patients.
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There are several steps in place to protect volunteers who take part in clinical research studies. Clinical research is regulated by the federal government. In addition, the Institutional Review Board (IRB) and Human Research Protection Program at each study location have many safeguards built into each study to protect the safety and privacy of participants.
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Yes, many research studies need healthy volunteers. The data from healthy volunteers is often used for comparison with the data from participants who are testing a treatment. You can use our database to filter for trials that accept healthy volunteers.
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The Johns Hopkins clinical trials database includes open and closed clinical trials that take place at one of the Johns Hopkins care locations in Maryland, Washington, D.C., or Florida. Each trial has a primary investigator who is a faculty member at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
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Each clinical research study that involves human participants goes through a rigorous review process before it begins recruitment. Studies that are actively recruiting participants are categorized as open in our database. All other studies are categorized as closed because they have not started recruitment, or they have paused or finished recruitment.
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If you would like to learn more about a specific study, use the contact information provided at the top of the study page to connect with the research team. The research coordinator, nurse or primary investigator for that study will respond to your inquiry. Clinical trials can have complex criteria that determine participation. The study team will speak with you about this. If you do not join a study, you may still schedule an appointment with the principal investigator or another Johns Hopkins physician to discuss other treatment options for your condition.