Before a new treatment can go onto the pharmacy shelves, it has to go through testing. First in the laboratory, then through research clinics where people can try it under medical supervision. That’s what we call a clinical trial, or clinical research.

In a typical trial, the clinical team will give the treatment to a group of people and record the results. Sometimes there’s also a separate ‘control’ group, who receive a standard treatment or a dummy treatment (also called a placebo), to compare the effects.

Once doctors have enough evidence to support the new treatment, which usually takes many rounds of trials, regulators can approve it for wider use.

People join clinical trials for different reasons. Perhaps you have a condition and want to see if a new treatment will work for you.

Some volunteers want to support medical science to save and improve lives. Although many trials offer payment, or at least travel expenses, it’s a way to give back and help others.

If you’re from an underrepresented community, your contribution is particularly needed – helping provide insights that trials in the past have often missed. That’s why at Frontier, we focus on making trials welcoming and inclusive, so you can help future generations while feeling recognised and supported.

New medicines are usually in development for years, and have to pass strict inspections, before they’re ready for human use. The entire process is tightly regulated and monitored by the MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency).

A drug must undergo several phases of testing before it can be trialled at our centre. This means that researchers have already proven the medicine to be safe in humans prior to our trials. Our goal is to determine the drug's effectiveness and identify the optimal dosage for the best results.

If there are any risks associated with the treatment, however small, we’ll explain them to you, so can decide if the trial is right for you. We’ll also support you throughout your trial, so you can get advice if anything changes. You can leave your trial at any time for any reason, so you’re in control from start to finish.

Our team has years of experience upholding the highest standards of clinical safety, so you know you’re in expert hands.

If you have a health condition, your doctor can sometimes recommend or refer you to a trial that could be suitable for you. You can also search for clinical trials by location or by health issue. You can find our list of current trials here.

If you can’t find a trial that’s right for you, but would like to join one in the future, you can sign up to our volunteer database and researchers will get in touch when a match comes up.

Every trial is different, so we’ll share the details with you before you join. That includes how much time it will take, and how often you might need to visit one of our clinics or test sites. As with any treatment you might get from your doctor, we’ll go through any potential side effects, and answer any questions.

We want to make taking part in a trial as easy as possible, so our research sites are open at evenings and weekends and can accommodate participants from across the country with expenses paid. We also make sure our team is there for you to answer questions and offer support at any stage of your trial.

Many clinical trial protocols follow the usual methods used to treat a specific health condition or disease. Because of this, you will probably be familiar with the tests and evaluations we need to carry out during the trial.

Once a trial is finished, the researchers will share the results with you, so you can find out what they’ve learned. If the results are promising, the treatment will go through to its next phase of testing and development on its way to being licensed for wider use.

That’s not the end of the story. At Frontier, we also make sure we take care of you after the trial ends. We’ll check in with you in the weeks and months afterwards, and if you need advice or want to tell us anything you’ve noticed after your trial, we’re here for you.