Everything you need to know about Trial Friend, how we source our data, and how clinical trials work.
Trial Friend is a free tool that helps rare disease patients, caregivers, and families find and understand clinical trials. We pull real-time data from government databases and present it in plain language so you can make informed decisions with your care team.
No. Trial Friend is an informational tool. It does not provide medical advice, diagnose conditions, or recommend specific treatments. Always talk to your doctor or healthcare provider before considering participation in a clinical trial.
Yes, completely. There are no fees, no premium tiers, and no paywalls. We believe access to clinical trial information shouldn't have a price tag.
No. You can search and browse everything without signing up. The only optional feature is email alerts — if you want to be notified when new trials open for a condition, you can enter your email.
Trial Friend was built by a small team that believes navigating rare diseases shouldn't feel so isolating. You can learn more on our About page.
No. We don't sell, share, or monetize your personal data. We use minimal analytics to improve the site. See our Privacy Policy for full details.
All clinical trial data comes directly from ClinicalTrials.gov, the official database maintained by the U.S. National Library of Medicine. We query it in real time, so you always see the latest information.
We fetch trial data live from the ClinicalTrials.gov API every time you load a page. The data is as current as what's posted on ClinicalTrials.gov itself. Each trial card shows a freshness indicator based on when the trial sponsor last updated it.
Phase 1 tests safety in a small group. Phase 2 tests effectiveness and side effects. Phase 3 compares the treatment to existing options in a larger group. Phase 4 happens after FDA approval to monitor long-term effects. Our Learn section has a detailed breakdown.
A trial marked "Recruiting" is actively looking for participants. "Not Yet Recruiting" means the trial has been registered but hasn't started enrollment. These are the trials where you have the best chance of joining.
When you click "Translate to plain English," we send the eligibility criteria to an AI model that rewrites the medical language into everyday terms. It highlights key requirements like age ranges, prior treatments, and conditions. You can also hover or tap underlined medical terms throughout the site for instant definitions.
Our Match Me tool asks a few questions (condition, age, location, treatment history) and scores how well each trial fits your profile. But only the trial's research team can determine actual eligibility. Match Me helps you narrow the field so you're not reading through hundreds of irrelevant trials.
Not all clinical trials are conducted in the United States. Some trials may only have sites in Europe, Asia, or other regions. We always show US locations first when they're available, and you can use the location filter in Match Me to focus on trials near you.
In the United States, a rare disease is defined as a condition affecting fewer than 200,000 people. The European definition is fewer than 1 in 2,000. There are more than 7,000 known rare diseases, and collectively they affect roughly 30 million Americans.
The Symptom Finder uses the Human Phenotype Ontology (HPO), a database of over 18,000 clinical features mapped to thousands of diseases. When you select symptoms, we use information-content scoring (inspired by the LIRICAL methodology) to rank diseases. Rare symptoms carry more weight than common ones, which makes the results more diagnostically useful.
Gene Search lets you look up a gene name (like GBA or TTN) and see which diseases are associated with it, along with active clinical trials targeting that gene. It pulls data from multiple sources including ClinicalTrials.gov and the Open Targets Platform.
Each disease page shows labs that offer clinical genetic testing for that condition. This data comes from the NIH Genetic Testing Registry (GTR). Labs marked "Certified" meet federal CLIA quality standards. We prioritize US-based labs at the top of the list.
The drug pipeline section on each disease page shows approved and investigational therapies. FDA-approved drug data comes from OpenFDA. The pipeline visualization showing drugs in various clinical trial phases is sourced from the Open Targets Platform, which aggregates data from ChEMBL, ClinicalTrials.gov, and FDA databases.
We collect minimal, anonymous usage analytics (pages visited, features used) to improve the site. If you sign up for email alerts, we store your email and selected condition. We do not track you across websites, sell data, or build advertising profiles.
We use only essential cookies required for the site to function. We don't use advertising or third-party tracking cookies.
No. We don't save your searches, the symptoms you select, or the trials you view. Each session starts fresh.
Trial Friend pulls data from government databases, academic institutions, and established medical organizations. Here is every source we use and how it powers the site.
Important: Trial Friend is not a medical service and does not provide medical advice. The information on this site is for educational purposes only. Always consult your healthcare provider before making decisions about clinical trial participation or treatment.