What is the main purpose of an Institutional Review Board (IRB) in clinical research?

The main purpose of an Institutional Review Board (IRB) in clinical research is to protect the rights and welfare of human research subjects. This involves ensuring that the research protocols are designed to minimize risks to participants and that all ethical standards are upheld throughout the study. IRBs review the informed consent process to make sure that participants understand what the study entails and that they are participating voluntarily. The IRB also takes into consideration the balance between potential risks and benefits to the participants.

While other responsibilities may fall to oversight entities or governance structures, the protection of human subjects is the primary focus of the IRB. Financial oversight and regulatory compliance are important but secondary with respect to the ethical considerations surrounding human participants. Scientific validity is another critical aspect of research integrity; however, it is typically evaluated by other committees or experts specific to the scientific or methodological design rather than by the IRB itself, whose primary focus remains on participant welfare.