There are a lot of terms surrounding clinical studies that may be unfamiliar to you. We have included some of the most common ones below that are also used in the description of the OPUS clinical study.
Please ask your clinical study medical team to explain any other terms if you are unsure of their meaning. Sometimes healthcare professionals and researchers forget that these words are not part of everyday conversation for most people, so you should never feel embarrassed about asking!
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Double-blind13 | A clinical study in which neither the medical team NOR the participants know who is receiving the investigational drug or the placebo. |
| Informed Consent14 | It means that the participant has freely agreed to take part, after discussing with the study doctor and reading about the clinical study. This is required before anyone enters a clinical study. |
| Investigational Drug15 | A drug that is not yet available on the market (cannot be prescribed) but is being studied in a clinical study. |
| Lymphocytes16 | A type of white blood cells that help protect the body from infections by identifying and attacking harmful substances, like viruses and bacteria. |
| Lymph nodes17,18 | Lymph nodes are small structures located in various places throughout the body. They are part of the immune system, which protects from infections. When there is an infection, samples from the affected areas in the body are brought to the lymph nodes and presented to lymphocytes. These lymphocytes can then leave the lymph node and travel the area of infection. |
| Open-label Clinical Study2 | A clinical study in which both the clinical study medical team and the participants know the treatment being received by the participant (investigational drug or placebo). |
| Placebo13 | A placebo looks like the drug being studied but has no active substance in it. |
| Protocol14 | The detailed plan that ensures that the clinical study is performed the same way at all participating clinics and hospitals. |
| Randomized13 | Meaning that the choice of who receives the investigational drug or placebo is made at random (by a computer). |
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