What is an Institutional Review Board?

An Institutional Review Board, or IRB, is a group that reviews a clinical trial's protocol before it can enroll any participants, and then continues reviewing it at least once a year while the trial is ongoing.

An IRB checks that a trial is well-designed, legal, and ethical, that it doesn't include unneeded risks, and that it has a clear safety plan in place. If the board has concerns, it has the authority to require changes to the trial or to stop it altogether.

Each IRB must include at least 5 members, and the group can't be made up only of scientists. It's required to include a scientist, a non-scientist, and someone who isn't affiliated with the trial site at all. This mix of perspectives is meant to catch concerns that a purely scientific review might overlook, adding another layer of protection for participants.