Some research studies conducted to find possible causes or treatments for asthma, or to investigate social or psychological aspects of the condition, require human involvement. These are known as clinical trials.
Clinical trials are research studies that are carefully designed to answer specific questions concerning the safety and effectiveness of a drug, treatment, or diagnostic method, or to find ways to improve patients' quality of life.
Clinical trials allow researchers to find out how different patients respond to treatments while carefully monitoring the health and safety of the patients who volunteer.
All new medical treatments for asthma must go through the clinical trial process before they can be approved for sale or general use. For example research into the potential causes of asthma and related conditions could require lung function tests to look at differences between asthmatics and non asthmatics. Such studies require volunteers.
Clinical research must be approved by the Human Research Ethics Committee before volunteers can be asked to participate. The success of clinical research, and the development of new treatments, is dependent on volunteer participation in these trials or studies.
On this page we display some asthma studies currently being conducted which require volunteer participants.
Please be aware that Asthma Foundation NSW plays no role in these studies other than to provide a means of recruiting potential study participants. We cannot give any guarantees about the quality or the outcomes of the studies, and ask that any interested volunteers contact the researchers directly with questions they may have.
Pandemic influenza research
Research participants needed!
Do you have asthma and are over 18? If so we want to talk with you.
Researchers at the University of New South Wales, Monash University & Glasgow Caledonian University (UK) are seeking to recruit individuals & focus groups for a research study. The aim of this study is to document how the public understand the threat of pandemic influenza and the government’s response to it to date. We are interested in your thoughts & experiences of pandemic influenza, especially H1N1 or Swine Flu, and we are looking to talk with anyone with asthma who is over 18.
Interviews can be done face-to face in a Sydney location of your choosing (e.g. a park, cafe, work) and will take approx 1 hour. Travel costs will be reimbursed.
Focus groups will be held at UNSW campus and will take approx 2 hours. Participants will receive a $25 Coles Myer Gift card.
For more information contact:
Casimir MacGregor: School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of New South Wales.
Email: c.macgregor@unsw.edu.au
Phone: (02) 9385 8268