Clinical trials at UW Health are research studies involving volunteers like you, led by a team of our medical professionals. That team is dedicated to safely exploring treatments or ways to prevent disease. A clinical trial might be trying to find a new drug for cancer or heart disease while another might be assessing how to prevent the frequency of asthma attacks.
Clinical trials truly are only possible because of volunteers. Some people volunteer because they have a life-threatening illness or a health problem, and the trial may give them access to new treatments before widely available. Some healthy people volunteer because they have a family history of disease and want to prevent it for themselves and others. UW Health also offers clinical trials for pediatric patients.
Clinical trials are conducted with strict federal guidelines focusing on safety for volunteers. Sometimes the outcomes of trials don’t lead to the expected results. However, the process and discovery can lead to new research directions, which can ultimately translate to benefits. Participating in a clinical trial is voluntary and you can stop taking part at any time, for any reason.
UW Health is proud to provide its patients access to clinical trials.
Cancer clinical trials
At the UW Health | Carbone Cancer Center, our cancer patients have access to more than 250 clinical trials. This includes enrolling in groundbreaking new treatments available here for the first time.
Clinical trials move through several phases. You may hear trials referred to by these phases. Each phase of the trials is designed to gather different information about a drug or a treatment. Central to each phase, is patient safety.
Phase I
This phase focuses on examining a drug or treatment looking at its dosage usage and any side effects.
Typically involves between 1-50 people
UW Health is one of a select few places in the country able to offer Phase I trials as part of your treatment.
Phase II
This phase builds on the learning of Phase 1 and focuses on the effectiveness of the drug or treatment while continuing to monitor safety.
The trial expands to include more volunteers, around 100-300 people.
UW Health has many active Phase II Trials
Phase III
In this phase, the trial is expanded to large groups of volunteers. The trial continues to monitor effectiveness in this larger population, monitoring side effects and can be compared to other standard or similar treatments.
The trial is typically offered nationwide, to groups ranging from 1000 and up
UW Health has many Phase III Trials
Phase IV
In this phase, the drug or treatment has typically been approved for usage by the Federal Drug Administration, (FDA) having completed the full clinical trial process.
Now available to the public, researchers track its usage and safety in the broader population.
When Gary Davey was offered the opportunity to join a ground-breaking clinical trial, he said, "Sign me up!" Little did he know how profoundly it would impact his life, advance research and ultimately benefit thousands of other patients.
Find a clinical trial at UW Health
Explore active trials and learn how to get involved.
Find a clinical trial