Everything you need to know
Joining a study is a personal decision, and an entirely voluntary one. Here is what participating at SCRI actually involves, and a simple way to ask whether a study fits you.
Four steps, start to finish
From your first call to your last visit, the same study team stays with you, and your regular kidney care continues uninterrupted.
A short conversation and medical review to see whether an open study fits your health history.
We walk you through the study in plain language, covering what it involves, how long it runs, and every question you have, before anything begins.
Scheduled appointments for assessments, treatment, and follow-up with the study team.
Close monitoring throughout your participation, with first access to emerging therapies.
What a study visit looks like
Ask in two minutes
Tell us your name, how to reach you, and the closest match for your kidney condition. A member of the study team calls you back to talk it through. No cost, no obligation, and your own doctor stays in the loop.
- Reviewed against every study open today
- A real person calls. No automated screening
- Nothing changes about your current care
You are protected
Every study is approved and overseen by an independent Institutional Review Board, which weighs risks against potential benefits before a protocol can begin.
Full information
You receive detailed information about the study, and you may ask questions at any point.
Informed consent
Nothing begins until you have consented, in writing, with the study explained in plain language.
Withdraw freely
Participation is voluntary. You may leave a study at any time, without penalty to your care.
Confidentiality
Your information is handled confidentially, in line with federal regulations and our privacy practices.
Respectful treatment
You are cared for by board-certified nephrologists and certified research coordinators.
No cost to you
Study visits, tests, and the investigational therapy are provided at no charge. Insurance is never billed.
What patients ask us
What is a clinical trial?
A clinical trial is a research study in human volunteers designed to answer specific health questions: evaluating new treatments, prevention options, or diagnostic techniques. Every trial follows a detailed protocol that defines eligibility, visit schedules, medications, and duration.
Can anyone participate?
Each study has its own eligibility criteria, so not every applicant is accepted. Our study team reviews your health history against the protocol and tells you clearly whether a study is a fit.
What does it cost to participate?
Nothing. It does not cost participants anything to take part in a clinical trial at SCRI. Your insurance is never billed, and study-related care is provided at no charge by board-certified physicians.
Are clinical trials safe?
Every trial at SCRI is approved and overseen by an independent Institutional Review Board, which weighs risks against potential benefits before a study can begin. All research carries some risk, and those risks are assessed carefully and explained to you before you consent.
What are the benefits of participating?
Access to emerging therapies before they are widely available, closer monitoring by the study team, and the chance to contribute to research that benefits future patients.
Will I keep seeing my own doctor?
Yes. Study participation runs alongside your regular care, and your own physician stays in the loop throughout.
Ready to get started?
See if a study fits
Tell us a little about your kidney health and we will call you back. It costs nothing to ask.
Start here →Refer a patient
We screen against every open protocol and report the outcome back to your office, either way.
Refer now →Bring us your protocol
Call to discuss feasibility with a site that has delivered kidney trials for more than 25 years.
Call (706) 922-3005 →Southeastern Clinical Research Institute, LLC · 1521 Anthony Road, Augusta, Georgia 30904 · (706) 922-3005 · Fax (706) 722-5843
Two things worth reading
Written by the research team at the region's kidney research center, for patients, physicians, and sponsors alike.
Why a research institute owned by the treating nephrologists finds the patient, keeps the patient, and returns clean data. With the record to show for it.
Read the paper → From the blog Polycystic kidney disease: the research behind the first treatment, and Augusta's part in itWhat ADPKD is, what tolvaptan does, what comes next, and what families can do now.
Read the article →