Clinical research is the systematic process of testing medical devices or treatments on humans to ensure safety, efficacy, and ethical integrity, extending beyond what pre-clinical animal or laboratory tests can show. It involves multiple roles working in coordination: sponsors design and fund the study; investigators recruit participants and manage data; CROs support with monitoring and compliance; IRBs ensure ethical oversight; and patients voluntarily participate after providing informed consent. These studies adhere to Good Clinical Practices (GCP), which combine U.S. federal regulations and international guidelines to maintain scientific validity and participant protection. Trials may be prospective or retrospective, single-, double-, or triple-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, or multi-center, depending on the objective and ethical constraints. Effective management requires close monitoring of informed consent, adverse events, and data accuracy to maintain transparency and trust. As the field evolves with artificial intelligence, digital monitoring, and wearable health devices, new challenges emerge around data privacy, patient comprehension, and global regulatory consistency. Key considerations include how financial and ethical pressures can coexist without compromising objectivity, whether placebo or sham procedures should face stricter ethical standards, how GCP guidelines might adapt to digital and AI-integrated studies, and whether true informed consent is achievable amid increasingly complex, technology-driven clinical trials.