Medical research

The medical research is divided into basic research and private clinic.

The fundamental medical research aims to better including/understanding the Human body and its Maladie S.

The clinical medical research is based on the results of the basic research to invent and prove the effectiveness of new treatments or techniques.

Fundamental medical research

The basic research in medicine aims to better including/understanding the human body and its diseases. Its spectrum is very broad and largely related to the others Sciences. One can mainly quote the Biologie, the Biochimie, the Histologie, the Anatomie, and the Physiologie. The Science is still far from to have bored all the mysteries of the Vie. The studies of basic research thus relate as well to the normal functioning as pathological of the alive systems. Although it does not have a direct clinical application, it makes it possible to establish the scientific bases without which nothing is possible.

Clinical research

The clinical research is based on the results of the basic research to invent and prove the effectiveness of new treatments or techniques. The first stage of the clinical research is called “research pre-private clinic”. It is carried out by university laboratories or pharmaceutical, on biological models (tests in-vitro) or animals (tests in-vivo). When the researchers think of having found an effective cure, one passes at the called following stage “clinical study”. It passes by the rigorous comparison and objectifies, at patients, promising treatment and better known treatments. More largely, one calls “clinical study” any investigation carried out on human subjects in order to discover or to check the clinical and pharmacological effects of a product of research (new Médicament for example), or to study the way in which a product of research is absorbed, distributed, metabolized and excreted in order to evaluate safety or the effectiveness of it. A clinical study can also have for goal to develop or evaluate new equipment (Medical imagery,…) or of preventive, diagnostic or therapeutic novel methods.

Seek on the human person

Although the tests in-vitro or on animal models bring invaluable information in the first stages of research, only of the tests on human beings can confirm that the results obtained at the time of these stages are applicable to the man. However, of many scientific studies (Brey and Al , Neurology 2004) the difficulties underline with which are confronted the researchers at the time of the search for volunteers and the negative impact of this situation on the projections of medicine. As much certain causes is médiatisées ( Blood donation, of bodies), to play “guinea-pig as much” remains taboo and badly seen by the public opinion.

This bad press in the public opinion is not completely founded. Although certain accidents took place during clinical trials, the risk remains tiny and comparable with that of the majority of the daily activities (to drive car, to take the plane,…). In Europe, research on the human person is strictly regulated, mainly by the Declaration of Helsinki and the European directive of April 4th, 2001. A paramount element of this regulation relates to the " free assent and éclairé" , which must be obtained of the volunteer before any experiment, with full knowledge of the facts and free of any external influence.

Healthy volonteer

Certain studies, for example those on the normal man or the therapeutic tests of phase 1, require " volunteers sains" , i.e. without pathology which can disturb the results of the study. Nevertheless, nobody is perfect: each one suffers or suffered, one day or another, of a disease or an anomaly. Thus should be included/understood the " term; volunteer sain" compared to the context. For a dermatological test, a subject which suffers from Hypertension can be considered “healthy”. It does not go from there in the same way if the test relates to a drug hypotensor.

Patient

The patients for the medical research are the people who take part in an experiment related to their Maladie. Although the therapeutic tests of drugs are most widespread, research can also relate to the fundamental comprehension of the disease or the development of preventive, diagnostic or therapeutic novel methods.

See too

National institute of health and the medical research

External bonds

Committee of Protection of the People the South-Mediterranean II
Commission of pediatry of the National conference of the Committees of Protection of the People
Volterys: database of volunteers for the medical research