How do I know that negative research stories from the past won’t happen again?

Click on the video below to hear about safety and ethics in clinical trials.

Today, researchers learn to prevent the mistakes of our past:

  • Tuskegee Study (1932-1972) researchers did not tell participants all the study information. By today’s standards, participants could not join a study without all the information. The Tuskegee Study also withheld medical treatment from participants. Today, research studies can’t prevent high quality medical care.
  • Henrietta Lacks received a medical procedure in 1951. Medical research staff did not inform her about using a sample of cells from the procedure. Today, a study cannot use someone’s cells unless they consent to the research plan.
  • Today, the Food and Drug Administration oversees clinical studies. Each research site also has an Institutional Review Board (IRB). This IRB makes sure researchers follow all ethical guidelines and laws.

Click here to learn more about how research has changed for the better