Resources

Research worth sharing.

A growing collection of talks, guides, and practical research on the health questions that matter most — made freely available. Below: two short videos and a working guide to finding a cancer clinical trial.

Video · Guide

Finding a Cancer Clinical Trial

A practical walkthrough of how trials actually get found — the registries and their blind spots, the free matching services and who funds them, the cancer-center phone lines, and why every match still has to be verified by a call and vetted by your oncologist.

Running time 4:50

Video · Perspective

The Cancer AI Alliance — a view from the Berkshires

A short reflection on the Cancer AI Alliance and what the fast-moving intersection of artificial intelligence and cancer research means for patients and their families — where the promise is real, and where a careful human eye still matters most.

Running time 3:58

Written Guide

Finding a Cancer Clinical Trial: The Essentials

No single source lists every trial. The best results come from combining a registry search, a matching service, and human help from your oncologist or a cancer center — then verifying by phone that a trial is truly open. Here is the short version; the full guide, with the longer walkthrough and field notes, is available to download.

Five steps, in order.

1
Gather your details first. Exact diagnosis, stage, prior treatments, and biomarker/genomic results. Many trials require a specific mutation — ask your oncologist about molecular profiling if it hasn't been done.
2
Search ClinicalTrials.gov and the NCI tool (cancer.gov). But know that many phase 1 trials aren't required to register, and "Recruiting" statuses go stale. Always call the study contact to confirm a slot is truly open.
3
Use two or three free matching services (e.g., Massive Bio, Leal Health, xCures, or a disease-specific matcher like SparkCures for myeloma). They're sponsor-funded, so pair them with neutral sources.
4
Call the free NCI helpline, 1-800-4-CANCER. Specialists will search with you. Major centers have trial lines too: Dana-Farber 877-338-7425, MSK 800-525-2225, MD Anderson 1-877-632-6789. Their staff know about openings the public registry misses.
5
Bring every match to your oncologist. Paper eligibility and real eligibility often differ — and re-run the search as your situation changes.
Download the Full Guide Word document · the complete walkthrough, plus field notes
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