Imagine this: Your friend tells you about a new diabetes research study that he has recently joined, and considering you fit the qualifications too, you decide to join with him. After all, helping find a better way to treat diabetes is a great way to spend your free time! You’re excited – but a little apprehensive. When you go in to begin testing, what’s to say the experiment won’t be completely different from what you signed up for? And how do you guarantee that the researchers won’t hurt you on purpose?

Luckily, you can breathe a sigh of relief because the answer to your questions is medical ethics, a part of the research process dedicated to ensuring that research is conducted in a safe and regulated way. Across the world, guidelines and regulations that hold researchers accountable to set ethical values have been in place for decades. These regulations keep humans safe as they participate in scientific greatness.

But a little more than 60 years ago, the answers to those questions could not be guaranteed. As recent as 1960, human research had no set ethical standards. So, while most scientists made sure their experiments were beneficial for all involved, there was the rare project that subjected humans to unnecessary, cruel, and horrific treatments.

Without a core set of basic ethical principles, unethical things happened.

That is where set regulations come into play. The scientific community and world at large wanted to ensure that science was done ethically. So, in 1947, in response to the horrific experiments of World War II, the Nuremberg Code was created.

The code contains 10 important ethical considerations that research must follow. Among those is that patients must agree to the experiment and should be allowed to walk away at any time. The code also says that the experiment must benefit society, have proven to be effective in animal studies or previous information, be no more risky than beneficial, and be run by a qualified scientist in a clean setting.

Unfortunately, some researchers had trouble following the code after its introduction, so the US took matters into its own hands and created the National Research Act and National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research This pinpointed basic ethical principles and medical conduct guidelines that would need to be followed in research studies. In 1979, the Belmont Report, which ensures that research is done with respect for people, beneficence, and justice, was published.

This means that research studies now have to be approved by Institutional Review Boards before they can even begin and meet federal requirements throughout the process!

Here at Sanford, we do the same thing — a third of our research team is devoted to ensuring we meet all ethical standards. We’ve even been recognized as going beyond the federal standards! This rigorous compliance with medical ethics makes our research better (and ensures that you can have a great experience helping us change the world)! Participating in clinical research trials may provide you with access to innovative treatments while helping to improve care and find cures for future generations.

To learn more about the clinical trials available at Sanford Research, go HERE.