Participate in Research

Physicians and researchers at the Washington University NF Center are working hard to identify new treatments and provide the most effective therapies for our patients and their families, but we need your help!

Clinical trials and clinical research studies include health-related research projects designed to identify the best ways of caring for people living with medical conditions like NF. While the terms “clinical study” and “clinical trial” are sometimes used interchangeably, there is a difference between these two types of projects.

Clinical research studies examine specific features of NF to learn more about how to predict who will develop certain NF-related problems and how these problems affect people’s lives.

In contrast, clinical trials aim to determine how drugs and other therapies can prevent or treat medical problems seen in individuals with NF1 and NF2. Examples of clinical trials include the use of the drug Lovastatin to treat learning deficits in children with NF1 or cancer therapies, like Gleevec and Rapamycin, to reduce plexiform neurofibroma growth.

CLINICAL TRIALSClinical research

Have questions or concerns about participating in research? Check out our research participation FAQs to learn more.