Let's talk medical research

At Antidote, we share a variety of patient stories, spanning many conditions and individual backgrounds, but one common thread runs throughout — the defining power of the story to help patients and caregivers cope emotionally with an illness. Click here to read, watch, or listen to the stories of the following:

In the end, it was vanity that brought Shanelle Gabriel to the doctor who diagnosed her lupus. At least that’s how she tells it.

I was sitting in the balcony seats in the Opera House at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts when I first heard Ed Gavagan tell his story. If you’ve watched the Kennedy Center Honors on TV, these seats are reserved for cultural icons — musical legends, film and stage royalty. Extraordinary people. It was quite a humbling spot for an ordinary person, but since I was working the show ...

It all started with a phone call. Sandy, in tears, called Ira, her husband of over 30 years. She told him that she couldn’t find the Pilates studio where she practiced for years. It was a trip she had taken from their apartment in New York City countless times. The following week, they made an appointment with a neurologist. Soon after, Sandy would be given a diagnosis of mild cognitive ...

With a long line of disappointments in failed clinical trials, the last few years have not been good ones for drug development in Alzheimer’s disease. TURNING POINT is a documentary, produced in conjunction with BrightFocus Foundation, that follows the journey of researchers and patients working together on a trial for a new Alzheimer’s drug. The drug solanezumab, investigated by Eli Lilly & ...

Clinical trial site selection is an important step that can help prevent delays and other challenges once your trial is up and running. It also tends to be a rather burdensome step: Today, it takes an average of 31.4 weeks from site identification to the completion of the study start-up phase, which is one month longer than the average duration observed 10 years ago, according to a report from ...

Though clinical research is a requirement for any new drug or treatment to be developed, many people are unaware of what participating in one of these studies entails. Emily Schaller, founder and CEO of the Rock CF Foundation, talked with Antidote about her experience participating in several clinical trials for cystic fibrosis, a progressive lung condition that she has lived with since she was ...

Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA) is a four-hospital system with a national footprint. As a specialty provider in cancer care, the system sees 20,000 cancer patients annually and consistently ranks in the top 3% of all hospitals regarding patient satisfaction. In addition, the organization has worked to harness the therapeutic benefits of patient storytelling through a partnership with ...

The hall was full of people clad in conference attire: black suits, white shirts, and, for some, an adventurous pop of color in a shoe or a tie. As the speakers presented the latest data from their research, my eyes drifted to my fellow conference attendees, seeking something — anything — to help my jet-lagged mind stay focused and alert.

Nina Beaty is an artist and an art therapist. In 2014, a diagnosis of small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) with a short life expectancy turned her life upside down. When her cancer didn't respond to standard treatment, she enrolled in an immunotherapy trial. Four years out, Nina has no evidence of cancer.