Protocol Development for Investigator-Sponsored Clinical Studies

Clinical trials with investigator sponsors at academic sites have increased, in part due to studies involving drug repurposing, the process of identifying new uses for existing drugs that are initially conducted in patients rather than healthy participants. In contrast to industry- or government-sponsored trials, investigator-sponsored clinical studies, also known as investigator-initiated trials, are typically conducted at one or several academic centers and are resource-limited by finances and patient numbers. These studies can serve as crucial pilot studies to inform the design of larger, more definitive clinical trials. Drawing from the experience of working with clinical researchers in academic settings, this tutorial presents guidelines for writing clinical protocols for resource-limited investigator-sponsored studies that meet international standards and optimize the detection of meaningful signals or outcomes that can lead to investigation in larger well-controlled trials.