Trial Friend was built because patients and families dealing with rare diseases deserve better tools, clearer information, and a real shot at accessing the treatments being developed for them.
There are over 7,000 known rare diseases, and they affect more than 300 million people worldwide. For many of these conditions, clinical trials represent the only path to treatment. But finding those trials? That part is broken.
ClinicalTrials.gov is the definitive source, but it was built for researchers and regulators. The eligibility criteria are written in dense medical and legal language. A patient trying to figure out if they qualify for a study often needs a medical degree just to parse the requirements.
We saw families spending hours reading through incomprehensible criteria, calling research coordinators who couldn't call back for weeks, and missing enrollment windows for trials that could have changed their lives. That felt like something we could help fix.
Trial Friend pulls real-time data directly from ClinicalTrials.gov and makes it understandable. When you search for a condition, you see every active and recruiting study with its phase, intervention, locations, and eligibility requirements laid out clearly.
The part that changes things: our AI reads through the dense eligibility criteria and translates them into plain English. Instead of wading through paragraphs of medical jargon, you get a clear summary of who can participate, what the requirements are, and what to expect.
We also maintain detailed pages for 35 rare diseases, each with medically sourced information about the condition itself: what it is, how it presents, who it affects, and guidance on getting involved in clinical research. Every piece of medical information is sourced from organizations like NORD, NIH GARD, and MedlinePlus.
Every design decision, every feature, every word on this site is written for the person searching for answers. We are not a pharma recruitment tool.
Medical information can be accurate without being incomprehensible. We use AI to bridge the gap between clinical language and human understanding.
We don't require accounts, we don't sell data, and we don't track you across the web. You can search anonymously. We use Plausible analytics, which is cookieless and privacy-first.
Trial Friend is free for patients and caregivers. No premium tiers, no paywalls, no hidden costs. Access to clinical trial information should not be gated by ability to pay.
Trial Friend is an informational tool. We help you find and understand clinical trials, but we are not a medical provider, and nothing on this site constitutes medical advice. Always talk to your doctor or specialist before making any decisions about clinical trial participation.
The trial data on this site comes directly from ClinicalTrials.gov, which is maintained by the U.S. National Library of Medicine. We update in real time, but trial availability can change quickly. A study that appears open today may close enrollment tomorrow.
If you find a trial that looks promising, your next step should be to discuss it with your care team. They can help determine if the study is appropriate for your specific situation and guide you through the enrollment process.