Patients ask about clinical trials for two reasons. Some have run out of approved options, or have progressive multiple sclerosis where the approved treatments do little. Others have read about a new drug and want to know whether it is real.
We do not run clinical trials at our offices, and we cannot enroll you in one. Trials in neurology are conducted at research sites, mostly academic medical centers, under their own investigators and ethics boards. What we offer is the part that usually goes missing: a neurologist with research training who helps you find the right study, read the fine print, and decide whether it is worth your time.
What we can and cannot do
| What we do | What we cannot do |
|---|---|
| Search the public registry and read the eligibility criteria against your records | Enroll you. We are not a research site and have no studies of our own |
| Give a candid opinion on the trade: what you give up, what you might gain, what a placebo arm would mean | Guarantee you a place, or influence a site's screening decision |
| Send a referral letter and your records to the site's study coordinator | Name a study, sponsor, or result here. Which studies enroll changes monthly |
| Order any test the site needs before screening, so you do not lose weeks | Run the study protocol once you enroll. The study team does that |
| Stay your neurologist during and after the study, and read the published results with you | Promise that a trial is the right answer. Often it is not |
Dr. Achillefs Ntranos, MD is board-certified in neurology, completed a fellowship in multiple sclerosis at Mount Sinai, and did postdoctoral research in neuroimmunology at Johns Hopkins, with work published in journals including Brain and Neurology. Reading protocols and consent forms was part of that training, which helps when a study summary is written for regulators rather than for you.
There is also a conflict of interest worth naming. A research site that enrolls you is paid per participant and has targets to meet. We are not.
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Understanding our role in a trial
- Find: we review study eligibility against your records.
- Weigh: we discuss the protocol, risks and treatment alternatives.
- Refer: the research site decides eligibility and enrollment.
Where the research is happening
These are fields of research, not studies we run or can offer. The authoritative list is ClinicalTrials.gov, the public registry run by the National Library of Medicine, searchable by condition and distance. Several academic centers in the Los Angeles area run neurology trials, so most of our patients can reach a site without travelling.
| Field | Broad areas of research | Worth a look if |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple sclerosis | Progressive MS, remyelination, drugs targeting immune activity inside the brain, blood biomarkers | You have progressive MS, or relapsing MS that has failed the approved therapies |
| Migraine and headache | New preventive and acute drugs, neuromodulation devices, medication-overuse headache | Chronic migraine that has failed several preventives. Most people never need a trial |
| Memory disorders | Blood and imaging biomarkers, antibodies that clear amyloid, tau-directed drugs, prevention in people at risk | You have a biomarker-confirmed diagnosis, usually after neuropsychological testing |
A trial is rarely the right first move in relapsing MS, where the approved treatments work well for most people. Our guide to the neurofilament light chain blood test covers a biomarker many MS trials measure.
How we work through a trial question
A consultation
Sixty minutes, in person or by video anywhere in California. We review your diagnosis, records, imaging, and treatment history, and settle first whether the approved options have actually been exhausted. Often they have not, and that is the better news. If the real question is the diagnosis itself, that is a second opinion.
Matching you to studies
We search the registry, read the eligibility criteria, and tell you which studies you could plausibly qualify for and which are not worth the call. If your records are missing something a site will ask for, such as a recent MRI or a lumbar puncture, we order it.
Reading the consent form with you
Before you sign, we go through the design, the chance of placebo, what you must stop taking and for how long, the visit schedule, the known risks, the costs section, and what happens when the study ends. Signing happens at the site, and you can change your mind afterwards.
During the study
The study team runs the protocol. We handle everything else: symptoms, other conditions, and questions you would rather not ask the study doctor. With your permission we share records with the site and receive theirs.
After the trial
Studies end, sometimes with an open-label extension that lets you keep taking the drug and sometimes without. We plan for that before you start, so you are not left without treatment on the last study visit, and we read the published results with you.
Questions worth asking the study team
Bring these to the screening visit, and bring the answers back to us.
- What is the study trying to find out, and what phase is it?
- What are the chances I receive placebo, and for how long?
- What will I have to stop taking, and what happens if my condition worsens during the study?
- How many visits, tests, and procedures are involved, and where?
- What does the study pay for, and what falls to me or my insurance?
- What happens when the study ends, or if it is stopped early?
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Questions before joining a study
- Treatment: ask about placebo and any medicines you would need to stop.
- Commitment: check visits, tests, travel and costs.
- Afterwards: ask what happens when the study ends or you choose to leave.
Booking a consultation about a trial
New patients are usually seen the same or the next business day, in person in Beverly Hills or West Los Angeles, or by video anywhere in California. No referral is needed. Bring your records, imaging reports, and any study listings you have found.
We are a direct-pay practice and do not bill insurance for visits. One flat fee covers the visit, and you receive a superbill to submit to your plan. Most PPO plans reimburse 50–80%, depending on your out-of-network benefits. A study usually covers the study drug, visits, and tests; your regular care with us stays separate. Details are on our billing page, or book a consultation.