ICH-GCP guidelines govern the clinical trial conduct and ensure the protection of patient’s safety and well-being and also ensure that the data collected during the course of clinical trial is accurate and of high quality. For every clinical trial taking place at the investigative site, a clinical research coordinator (CRC) is the main line of communication for most of the activities carried out. A CRC performs many activities such as maintaining source documentation, patient follow-up, CRF filling etc.

In case of an oncology study, the Research Nurse (RN), would best suit for the role of a clinical research coordinator role as he/she is experienced in most of the trial procedures being carried out in the wards. The research nurse plays a vital role in maximizing patient recruitment and in making sure that both the trial protocol and GCP guidelines are closely followed by everyone involved in the trial.

Clinical Research is a wonderful career opportunity. If one has the required skills, enthusiasm and commitment, this career path can bring very good returns, both in terms of monetary gains as well as satisfaction in professional life. Dentists have a very good future in clinical research primarily because they have a very good understanding of the basic physiology of the human body, its anatomy, pharmacology and many other medical aspects. Dentists in clinical research are eligible to work in any department. Dentists can work in clinical operations departments as a Clinical Research Associate (CRA), Sr. CRA, and later in their career grow to the level of a Clinical Trial Manager, Associate Director, Director, MD and CEO.

Many doctors (physicians) look for online courses that can enhance their profile, add to their knowledge and skill set and in the long run have the potential of monetary gains for themselves. If you are looking for such an online program, have you ever thought of specializing in ‘Clinical Trials’/'Clinical Research’? Well, if you have not then it is important for you to know that as a doctor / physician you can participate in multi-national clinical trials as an investigator. Clinical research is big business funded by pharmaceutical & biotechnology companies and if you have well established private practice or if you work at a hospital you can become a part of these projects.

The history of clinical trials has amazed many. The journey of clinical trials originated from the first recorded clinical trial from biblical era where Daniel tested the effects of a diet of pulses rather than meat. History was again inked with an iconic event when a surgeon from Edinburgh Dr. James Lind (1716-94) investigated the best treatment for scurvy and was probably the first person to have conducted a controlled clinical trial of the modern era.

James Lind is considered the first physician and father of clinical research who conducted a controlled clinical trial of the modern era. Dr. Lind (1716-94), a surgeon, serving on a ship, was appalled with high mortality from scurvy amongst the sailors. As a preventive measure he planned a comparative trial which resulted in most promising cure for scurvy. His description of the trial stated below covers the most essential elements of a controlled trial. His vision resulted in revolutionizing the research arena.

Insulin is a hormone secreted by group of cells; islets of Langerhans within an endocrine gland called Pancreas. The gland is an organ located behind the stomach and has many other functions apart from insulin production. Pancreatic gland is responsible for the production of hormones and digestive enzymes that help in digestion process and absorption of carbohydrates from the bloodstream. Post digestion, carbohydrates are absorbed into the bloodstream increasing the sugar levels. In response to the raise in blood sugar levels, pancreas secretes insulin which binds with the insulin receptors located on the body cells thus activating the absorption of glucose from bloodstream.

Structure of Insulin:

Like many hormones, insulin is also a protein with molecular weight of 6000 Dalton, consisting of two peptide chains namely “A-chain” and “B-chain”. A-chain is composed of 21 amino acids and B-chain; 30 amino acids. Both the chains are interlinked with two disulphide bonds and a disulphide bond is present within the A-chain. Below is the chemical structure of human insulin.

A training course in “Clinical Research” has unique demand and value in the clinical research industry. Any MBBS / BHMS / BAMS / BPT / MPT / BDS / BMLT / Bachelor in Naturopathy & Veterinary Science / MD / MS/ Pharmacy or Life Science graduate is more likely to enter the industry provided if he/she has completed a course in clinical research. Clinical research courses are professional development courses, and not main stream education.

Clinical research courses could be any of the following:

Post Graduate Diploma in Clinical Research
Advanced Post Graduate Diploma in Clinical Research
Professional Diploma in Clinical Research etc.

A candidate can opt for any of the said certifications/courses to enter the industry. All these certifications reflect the candidate’s potential and knowledge to participate in clinical trial conduct. A good platform is needed to get awarded with such certifications to become clinical research professionals. There are many institutes in Bangalore offering such certification courses and programs in clinical research on various platforms. To be specific, an online platform would be suggestible one to opt a clinical research course as it is embedded with many benefits.

Many students are looking for the ‘Best Clinical Research Course‘ as they wish to get trained in clinical research from the best institute so that they can advance their careers in this ever growing industry. When we say ‘Best Clinical Research Course’, the definition of best needs to be understood. What is best for me, may not be best for you, and what is best for you may not be best for him. Everyone of us is different and we have different needs, so a single definition of ‘best’ cannot be applied to everyone. To give an example, a clinical research course that is conducted online may be better for working professionals and students who are currently pursuing some other full-time education, whereas it may not be feasible for someone who does not have access to internet or computer, or is not comfortable studying online. Even though the online training may be the best, it is still not best for such people who cannot harness the power of the internet to study. In the same way, a good classroom program is not worth anything for someone who cannot attend it. So, if you are searching for the Best Clinical Research Course, it is important for you to define your own requirement, your own need and set a few criteria that your clinical research course must fulfill.  Some questions to ask before joining any clinical research program should be: Do I really need a classroom program or can I study online? How much fee can I afford? Does the course cover all important areas of clinical research? Does the course offer me flexibility to study? What is the duration of the clinical research course? How good is the reputation of the institute? Who are the faculty members? Are they experienced? Does the institute have any certification such as ISO certification? How would you receive study material? How can you contact the faculty to clear your doubts? etc. If you have got the answer to these questions and if they are in line with your requirement, then that course is probably the best clinical research course for you. By clicking here you can know more about clinical research courses.

Clinical Research Institutes in Bangalore offer many clinical research courses. If you are someone who is interested in Clinical Research Training, you have multiple options available to you to choose from. However before you decide to join any clinical research course in any clinical research institute, it is important to first understand what your training requirements are, what is the industry looking for, and what your career path will be after you complete the said course. Many Clinical Research Institutes have mushroomed in cities like Bangalore, Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata and Mumbai are offering clinical research training. Before you join, make sure you know that the training provider is credible and has experience in conducting clinical research courses. If you are open to studying via distance learning or online, then the location of the institute should not be an issue for you as long as the institute has good credibility and fulfills your requirements in terms of quality of training, mode of learning, course duration, course fee etc.  If you wish to join a classroom course instead, you must visit the institute in person and do a thorough assessment as to whether the institutes classroom course suits you well. We wish you all the best.

Clinical trials are systematic studies conducted in human subjects to determine the safety and efficacy of a new drug. The purpose of clinical trials is to find out the safer, more effective drugs or methods or therapies to screen, prevent, diagnose or treat a variety of diseases. These studies follow strict scientific standards, thus protect the patients and help to produce reliable study results. Clinical trials are composed of various steps mainly categorized into 4 phases; each phase is designed to find out specific information and each new phase of a clinical trial builds on information from previous stages. Clinical trials must apply the pharmacological principles/ techniques in order to study the mechanism of action of drugs in humans. This is simply known as clinical pharmacology.

The clinical trial process, determines whether a drug, biologic or medical device is safe and effective before approval for marketing and sale. Clinical trials require vigilant planning at every step of testing process as it is governed by regulations and guidelines to ensure safety and accuracy of biomedical data.

Recent escalation in clinical research efforts has increased the requirement for proficient clinical research workforce in industry, health care and academia. While federal organization, pharmaceutical companies, and research sites continue to put efforts to re-engineer the clinical research activity and ensuring conformity with federal regulations, seeking innovative approach to improve the breadth and competence of clinical research and maintain quality and safety standards, to bring the much desired products to market in a reasonable time frame to improve patient health. As the industry grows so does the demand for more highly skilled and developed clinical research professionals to address the increasing complexity of regulations.