When 26-year-old Markinson suffered a psychotic break, he was given a choice no one should ever face: participate in a clinical trial or face long-term involuntary confinement. What followed was a tragic chain of events—his worsening condition, the helpless fight of a mother trying to save her son, and ultimately, a suicide that would spark a national conversation about ethics, consent, and mental illness in clinical research.

In this episode, we examine the heartbreaking story of the Markinson case—a chilling example of how regulatory systems meant to protect can fail the most vulnerable. We explore IRB bias, the complexities of informed consent under duress, and the urgent need for advocacy in mental health trials.

In this chilling episode of Dark History of Clinical Trials, we explore the devastating 2016 Phase 1 clinical trial in Rennes, France, that left one man dead and several others with lasting neurological damage. Designed to test a new painkiller, the study went catastrophically wrong after investigators escalated the dose without properly analyzing earlier data. We uncover what went wrong, the oversight failures, and how it shook public trust in drug development.

This tragedy serves as a sobering reminder of why data review, transparency, and ethical safeguards in early-phase trials are not just protocols—they are matters of life and death.

In Part 3 of our series on government-funded clinical trials, we shift the focus to the upsides of working in publicly funded research. From greater patient diversity and broader public health impact to mission-driven work and long-term study follow-through, we highlight what makes this space both rewarding and unique.

We also explore what kind of professionals thrive in this environment. Is it the detail-oriented? The mission-focused? The ones who care deeply about equity in access to care?

Tune in as we explore why some coordinators and investigators choose this path—and why they stay.