Research

Clinical trials use volunteer patients to investigate and study different treatments for disease. A clinical trial study tries to answer questions about prevention, treatment and diagnosis of a disease such as lupus.

There has not been a new drug developed for the treatment of lupus in over 40 years. Some of our lupus patients see their participation in clinical trials as a way that they can help change that fact.

Clinical trials are important because they contribute to the overall knowledge in a field and progress made toward understanding and developing therapies for a particular area of medicine.

From time to time, clinical trials need lupus patients to participate. We will do our best to bring you information about those trials so that you can be aware of them and get more information if you are interested in participating. Check back to this page and watch the national and local newsletters to see what is listed.

Making the Decision to Participate in a Clinical Trial

Participation in a clinical trial is a personal decision that should be made with your doctor. If you are interested in participating in a trial, you might pursue the links below. We recommend the following steps:

• Talk to your doctor. Your doctor may be aware of the drug or the therapy in the trial and can help you weigh the risks and your potential eligibility.
• Talk to the trial coordinator. This is the person who can talk to you or your doctor and determine the state of your health and your eligibility for the trial.
• Set up a pretrial screening. You will go through various tests to determine your eligibility. This screening should give you a chance to talk to the investigators and learn more about the trial and what the researchers are looking for.

Current area trials:

Bliss Study and Bliss Study Information