Overview: The NIDCD Clinical Trials Program

NIDCD is committed to building and expanding its clinical trials program to promote the development of interventions to treat or prevent communication and other disorders in the areas of hearing, balance, smell, taste, voice, speech, and language. NIDCD has a longstanding history of funding research in the basic sciences in all of these areas and would like to encourage the transition from basic science discoveries to intervention and patient-oriented research.

NIDCD recognizes that the body of work necessary to fully develop an intervention--especially a new intervention--is an extensive, long-term endeavor. Support is needed at every step, from basic science discovery to early stage translational research, culminating in clinical trials to establish safety and efficacy of the intervention, as well as late stage translational research to optimize proven interventions or the development of treatment guidelines for widespread clinical practice.

In order to provide the evidence base for safe and effective interventions, NIDCD expects clinical trials research funded by the Institute to meet high standards of scientific rigor in study design and execution and vigilance in the protection of human subjects.