What is a Clinical Trial?

A clinical trial is a form of research that evaluates a new form of therapy. There are various types of trials and they are used to test the value of new medical and surgical therapies. Prior to reaching the human stage of a trial, a new therapy must have undergone rigorous evaluation at the laboratory level. The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) rigorously monitors this process before it is allowed to continue to human research. It is then that a manufacturer or sponsor approaches a institution with a
Within the division of CardioThoracic Surgery at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, our physicians are valued by sponsors of these trials and are frequent participants with industry.