At 101 Cambridge Street in Burlington, MA, our small research clinic on the 3rd floor may not look like anything particularly interesting, but at this clinic the Skylight Health Research team, along with our dedicated patients, are helping shape the future of medicine. Skylight Health Research is an enrolling site for clinical trials to provide patients with a safe, comfortable, and respectful environment to participate in research. Our team of licensed medical professionals, coordinators and research assistants are committed to participant safety and advancing evidence-based medicine.
Clinical research has developed an inaccurate reputation over the last few years, portraying research participants as guinea pigs when the truth could not be more opposite. Research participants are medical heroes; altruistically offering their time and often their blood, for the betterment of others. We have research participants to thank for modern day medical advancements; medical therapies and medications to treat cancer, diabetes, lupus, and everything in between exist today because of research volunteers.
The horizon and conduct of research have changed dramatically over the last 80 years, with strict requirements implemented for the conduct and oversight of research to ensure the safety of research participants and accuracy of trial results. All research conducted by Skylight Health Research is approved by a research ethics board and is conducted according to Good Clinical Practice.
So, what’s involved for participants in a research study? The answer isn’t that simple, but we’ll break it down for you: regardless of the type of study, our team will always review the study in detail, including what is required for participants, the risks or benefits of participating, and your eligibility to ensure that you are a fit for the study. After confirming your eligibility, they will walk you through completing the consent form. From there, participation depends on the study design:
Non-interventional: Non-interventional studies are exactly how they sound, there is no intervention. The non-interventional studies that we participate in at our Burlington location most often involve answering medical and demographic questions and completing a blood draw. This blood is processed and shipped and used for a number of different reasons depending on the purpose of the study, it could be anything from infection monitoring to developing assays to detect cancer. These studies are often a single visit. A little blood can go a long way!
Interventional: Interventional studies involve—you guessed it—an intervention. This may be a drug, a vaccine, or a device, such as a new COVID test or a phone application. These studies often have stricter eligibility criteria, and will often include a control arm, that will receive a placebo instead of an active product. Treatment assignments will be done via random assignment (like an online coin flip) to remove bias, and allocations will be blinded for patients and staff. Interventional studies will involve multiple visits, both over the phone and in person, over a period of time.
Participating in any kind of research is always completely voluntary, and participants have the right to withdraw their consent at any time. Our research participants are always compensated for their time and efforts; this compensation varies from $40 – $2000, depending on the study design, time commitment and involvement.
We strive to empower our community members by offering opportunities to contribute to research – our patients know the difference that they’re making. Each study aids in improving the understanding, diagnosis or treatment of health conditions.
To learn more about who we are, what we do, and how you can participate in a clinical trial, please call 781-653-4281 or email info@skylighthealthresearch.com. You can also join our database to be contacted about any opportunities that we have ongoing at this link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SHRDatabase1
