Individuals who want to participate in medical research studies can now connect online with researchers nationwide through ResearchMatch.org. It is a not-for-profit, secure website designed to provide people who are interested in participating in clinical research the opportunity to be matched with studies that may be the right fit for them.
ResearchMatch offers an easy-to-use, free and safe way for volunteers to connect with thousands of researchers who are conducting research on a wide range of diseases. The site is a collaborative effort of the national network of medical research institutions affiliated with the Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSAs). The CTSA program, which is led by the National Center for Research Resources, a part of the National Institutes of Health, is focused on enhancing local and national efforts to enhance the translation of laboratory discoveries into treatments for patients.
The convenient and user-friendly registry employs a familiar research matching model that is complementary to Clinicaltrials.gov, another NIH research registry. One key difference is that ResearchMatch places the burden of connecting the right volunteers with the right study on the researchers, whereas Clinicaltrials.gov asks volunteers to identify the trials that could work for them.
How ResearchMatch Works
ResearchMatch will match any interested individual residing in the United States with researchers who are approved to recruit potential research volunteers through the system. After an individual has self-registered to become a volunteer, ResearchMatch’s security features ensure that personal information is protected until volunteers authorize the release of their contact information to a specific study that may be of interest to them. Volunteers are notified electronically when they are a possible match and then make the decision regarding the release of their contact information. It also will promote choice as there are no obligations on the volunteer to participate in studies.
For the first year of the project, only researchers affiliated with participating CTSA institutions are eligible to use ResearchMatch. However, plans are in place to make ResearchMatch available beyond the CTSA consortium by 2011. Currently 52 individual institutions associated with 40 CTSA sites are part of the ResearchMatch network. (See a list of these institutions.)
To learn more about ResearchMatch and to register as a volunteer, visit: www.researchmatch.org.
About The CTSA Consortium
The CTSA consortium is a national network of 46 medical research institutions working together to improve the way biomedical research is conducted across the country. The consortium, funded through Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSAs), shares a common vision to reduce the time it takes for laboratory discoveries to become treatments for patients and to engage communities in clinical research efforts. It also is fulfilling the critical need to train a new generation of clinical researchers. The CTSA program is led by the National Center for Research Resources, part of National Institutes of Health.
Launched in 2006, this network now includes awardees in 26 states. When the program is fully implemented, it will support approximately 60 CTSAs across the nation.
For more information about the CTSA program, visit www.ncrr.nih.gov/ctsa. The CTSA consortium website, which provides information on the consortium, current members and new grantees, can be accessed at www.CTSAweb.org.
The National Center for Research Resources, part of NIH, provides laboratory scientists and clinical researchers with the resources and training they need to understand, detect, treat and prevent a wide range of diseases. NCRR supports all aspects of translational and clinical research, connecting researchers, patients and communities across the nation. For more information, visit www.ncrr.nih.gov.
Talk With Your Doctor
Before you join a clinical research study, be sure to discuss it first with your personal physician. The NIH provides a list of publications about effective communication with your doctor. The National Cancer Institute offers a set of questions to ask about participating in a cancer trial.
The Research Club will present the third lecture in its series, “Translational Research: From Bench to Bedside,” on Thursday, December 3, from 6:00-7:30 p.m. in Room 101 White Hall (Gandhi Auditorium) on the WSU main campus.
Posted by Mark Willis 
The BSOM 
