About Clinical Research | UC Davis CTSC

Clinical research engages human participants to further scientific knowledge. Research helps determine the safety and effectiveness of medications, devices, diagnostic products, and treatment regimens intended for human use. It also aims to help find out how to better prevent, treat, diagnose, or relieve symptoms of a disease.

Types of Clinical Research

• Treatment Research generally involves an intervention such as medication, psychotherapy, new devices, or new approaches to surgery or radiation therapy.
• Prevention Research looks for better ways to prevent diseases from developing or returning. Different kinds of prevention research may study medicines, vitamins, vaccines, minerals, or lifestyle changes.
• Diagnostic Research refers to the practice of looking for better ways to identify a particular disorder or condition.
• Screening Research aims to find the best ways to detect certain disorders or health conditions.
• Quality of Life Research explores ways to improve comfort and the quality of life for individuals with a chronic illness.
• Genetic Studies aim to improve the prediction of disorders by identifying and understanding how genes and illnesses may be related.
• Epidemiological Studies seek to identify the patterns, causes, and control of diseases in groups of people.

How Clinical Research is Different From Other Types of Research

Basic Research

• Helps us to understand some aspect of the biology at a very basic level.
• Generates new ideas, principles, and theories, which may not be immediately utilized but nonetheless form the basis of progress and development in different fields.
• Typical funding sources: The government (such as National Institutes of Health - NIH)

Translational Research

• Shows that a drug or device works in some living system before it is used on humans.
• Often called "bench-to-bedside" research (referring to the research bench and the patient's bedside) or "applied" research (of applying basic research to solve a real-world problem).
• Typical funding sources: The government, universities, patient associations and foundations

Clinical Research

• To test the safety and effectiveness of drugs, diagnostic tests, and devices that could be used in the detection, treatment, prevention or tracking of a disease.
• The cornerstone of clinical research is the clinical trial. Clinical research is done in humans and within the healthcare environment.
• Typical funding sources: Pharmaceutical or medical device companies