It's designed to link volunteers with researchers who are conducting clinical trials and practicing alternative treatments. ClinicalTrials.gov went on-line this week. Right now, the site lists 4,000 clinical trials you can volunteer for in 47,000 different places across the country.
Some sponsors even offer to pay volunteers as an incentive to take part.
This website fills a void that has plagued many universities and laboratories for years. Until now, they worked alone to recruit their own participants. The problem was, scientists had trouble getting the word out to potential participants. Now, many hope this new federally funded website will make it easier to recruit volunteers that may help researchers solve medical mysteries. Like other universities and hospitals in the midwest, St. Louis University regularly conducts hundreds of clinical trials each year.