NCCIH Research Blog

With planning well underway for next month’s Enhancing Natural Product Clinical Trials workshop, I am pleased to tell you about this exciting opportunity to hear about the latest in natural products research.

Taking place over the course of two days from September 13-14 on the NIH campus in Bethesda, Maryland, this event will bring together multi-disciplinary experts from across the country to discuss best practices for obtaining, reporting, interpreting, and assessing foundational data for natural product clinical trials. Additional conversations will take place around clinical trial decision-making and design in the context of natural products research. The goal of this workshop is to enhance the progression of natural products research from foundational data to actionable public health information.

Workshop presentations will move between broad perspectives and specific illustrative examples. The event is scheduled to begin with a session titled “Natural Products Translational Research: Setting the Stage,” during which time I plan to discuss the need to optimize knowledge gain through rigorous planning for clinical research. Other sessions will deal with topics as varied as the translatability of assays and bioactives, the optimization of preclinical models, and the prioritization of clinical trials based on preliminary data. In addition, an interesting mix of speakers will ensure the representation of public and private sector perspectives.

The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health is collaborating on this workshop alongside the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, Food and Drug Administration, Department of Agriculture, National Cancer Institute, National Institute on Aging, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, and NIH Office of Research on Women’s Health.

All persons are invited to attend, especially those with relevant research experience. There is no registration fee for this workshop; however, all those planning to attend, whether in person or by webinar, should register in advance.

We look forward to seeing you at the Enhancing Natural Product Clinical Trials workshop next month.