Lutheran Home partners with Great Lakes Clinical Trials

Clinical trials will be more convenient and available for residents in the Northwest suburbs as the result of a new partnership between the Center for Wellness on the campus of Lutheran Home in Arlington Heights and Great Lakes Clinical Trials.

The independent, phase I-IV clinical trial center will have a clinic on the Lutheran Home campus, 800 W. Oakton St. Great Lakes specializes in the study of investigational medications, food products and supplements for the treatment of chronic diseases.

Clinical trials are carefully supervised research studies, whereby new investigational treatments and medications are evaluated for safety and effectiveness by a medical team. The Food and Drug Administration requires all pharmaceutical companies to thoroughly test new medications before they become available to consumers.

All medications in use today - prescription and over-the-counter - were first proven safe and effective in clinical trials.

Each trial follows a pre-defined plan, or protocol, which describes what types of patients may enter the study, schedules of tests and procedures, drugs, dosages, and length of study, as well as outcomes that are measured.

Lutheran Home has particular interest in Great Lakes' Alzheimer's and dementia research studies. A clinical trial participant can play a more active role in their own health care, gain access to new research treatments before they are widely available, and help others by contributing to medical research.

Additionally, since investigators are often specialists in the disease being studied, participants receive expert medical care for the specific condition. A participant in a clinical trial may help in the development of new medical therapies. These therapies, if proven to be safe and effective, can help improve the quality of life by offering better treatments and even cures for people with Alzheimer's and dementia.

Clinical research studies offer volunteers the benefits of free physical exams, study-related medical testing and study medication. Many studies offer compensation for time and travel and transportation is provided if needed.

When you participate in a clinical trial, your privacy is protected. Your medical records are confidential. The trial data that is provided to the pharmaceutical company and the FDA will not include your name or the names of other individuals participating in the study. There is no cost for physician visits or medications.

Lutheran Home hopes that more people will participate in Alzheimer's and dementia related clinical studies, gaining access to new research treatments before they are widely available.

Great Lakes also has offices in Chicago but hopes partnership will allow easier access for individuals in the Northwest suburbs who may be reluctant to travel into the city.

For information on current trials, go to www.greatlakesclinicaltrials.com. For information on the Center for Wellness, visit www.Lutheranhome.org or stop in. There are opportunities to participate in a free memory screening to see if a clinical trial is appropriate for you.