When it comes to medical research, there’s a gap that could potentially affect the health of women.
Women make up roughly half the population, so you’d think medical research would have plenty of data about how treatments work in female bodies. Unfortunately, it’s not always that simple.
Women have historically been underrepresented in clinical research, leaving researchers with gaps in their understanding of how medicines can affect women. That creates a problem, because women and men can respond differently to medicines. For example, women are more likely to experience adverse drug reactions.
“Our bodies are different, our hormones are different and our health needs are different,” says TV journalist, author and women’s health advocate Shelly Horton, Nucleus Network’s inaugural ambassador. “Yet for far too long women have been underrepresented in medical research.”
The data gap is particularly striking in some areas. Fewer than two per cent of Australian cancer clinical trials report the sex of participants. This makes it harder to understand whether sex-based differences influence treatment outcomes.
So, what happens in a clinical trial?
Nucleus Network specialises in Phase 1 clinical trials, where potential new medicines are studied in people for the first time. Participants undergo health screening and, if eligible for a particular study, are closely monitored by experienced medical teams throughout the process.
Clinical trials operate under rigorous processes and ethical requirements. Participants are given information about a study so they can make an informed decision about whether they want to take part.
Importantly, registering interest doesn’t mean you’ll automatically participate in a trial. Each study has its own eligibility requirements, and taking part is always a personal choice.
Nucleus Network says it has supported the development of 24 approved products through Phase 1 trials in women’s health. These include research into contraception, endometriosis, menopause, hormone therapy, breast and ovarian cancer and osteoporosis.
For Nucleus Network Global CEO Teena Pisarev, having more women represented in early-stage research is about building better data for everyone.
“Our purpose is to advance medicine and improve lives – this means all lives,” she says. “At the heart of each of our studies are the people who choose to participate, and we need more women.”
Ultimately, the more researchers understand about how treatments affect different bodies, the better informed future healthcare will be.
This Women’s Health Week, it’s a timely reminder that the research happening today could help shape the treatments women rely on tomorrow.
Curious to learn more about clinical trials? Find out more and register your interest as a potential participant at Nucleus Network.
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