NC Med Search

One of the greatest achievements of the 20th century has been the relentless search and discovery of better methods of treating and preventing illness. As a result of the great strides made in medical research the longevity of the human race has been lengthened by many years, and the quality of that lengthened life is much improved. The success of medical research is one of the great success stories of human history.

Research which is conducted in order to support the body of knowledge in the field of medicine is known as medical research. However it can be referred to in a variety of ways, such as applied research, basic research or translational research. This type of research falls into two main categories; research to discover if new treatments are efficacious and if they produce side effects or other risks, which is known as clinical trials and is a type of research. The other category is preclinical research, which tries to discover new methods and therapeutic strategies which have the potential of enhancing health and/or curing illness.

The medical community has made great strides in the advancement of medical research in the past 100 years, adding many years to the longevity of people. Some of the advances made possible through medical research have been the development of vaccines to prevent childhood and other viral illnesses, insulin for diabetes treatment, and antibiotics to combat bacterial infections which were the cause of millions of deaths in the past.

Today’s challenges of medical research are the search for a cure for cancer, new surgical techniques which are less invasive and more successful, transplantation of organs and even regeneration of body parts.