Is it possible to design a clinical trial as a medical student?

[PolymeraseChainRxn]

I'm starting my first year at an MD school this upcoming August. I'm already heavily involved in research and I've published a few papers on a very specific topic (meta-analyses, in vitro studies, animal studies, literature reviews, and an upcoming hypothesis paper/mini review). I was first author on most of these papers.

I want to test my hypothesis from the hypothesis paper and I have ideas for in vitro studies and animal experiments but the best way to explore my idea would be a prospective clinical trial of SCT and CBT patients. However, I know that the amount of funding required for a clinical trial is astronomically high. How realistic is it for me to embark on this endeavor throughout my 4 years of med school? Should I just stick to the bench and try to apply for larger grants during my residency/fellowship?

Also, would an MD be required to be first author on a clinical trial? I basically have all the data I need to write a grant for this idea but I don't want to put in this much work and end up not getting credit for designing the experiment/trial. A retrospective trial would also suffice, but that will limit my ability to track certain parameters that I'm interested in.

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[SurfingDoctor]

I'm starting my first year at an MD school this upcoming August. I'm already heavily involved in research and I've published a few papers on a very specific topic (meta-analyses, in vitro studies, animal studies, literature reviews, and an upcoming hypothesis paper/mini review). I was first author on most of these papers.

I want to test my hypothesis from the hypothesis paper and I have ideas for in vitro studies and animal experiments but the best way to explore my idea would be a prospective clinical trial of SCT and CBT patients. However, I know that the amount of funding required for a clinical trial is astronomically high. How realistic is it for me to embark on this endeavor throughout my 4 years of med school? Should I just stick to the bench and try to apply for larger grants during my residency/fellowship?

Also, would an MD be required to be first author on a clinical trial? I basically have all the data I need to write a grant for this idea but I don't want to put in this much work and end up not getting credit for designing the experiment/trial. A retrospective trial would also suffice, but that will limit my ability to track certain parameters that I'm interested in.

Not feasible in my opinion. The amount of time and resources necessary are far beyond what is possible in medical school. You stated yourself that "funding required for a clinical trial is astronomically high". No agency is going to throw millions of dollars at your hypothesis if you have no track record.

 

[deleted343839]

Agreed, not feasible or even fundable without pilot work to support the idea and the time and resources to carry out the work. Of course, everyone would like to leap to human trials but for various reasons it doesn't work that way (nor is it necessarily safe/ethical). Look for opportunities to continue publishing in your area of interest (eg, record reviews, case studies, etc.) as you progress through your training. Network with people who would be likely mentors and future collaborators. If you see yourself doing clinical research, aim at a research fellowship and preferably one that will actively help you bridge toward applying for independent funding.

To answer your other question, you don't need any special degree to be a first author on a trial, but you need more training, mentoring, and a good research team to produce a high-impact trial.