Chapel Hill, NC Clinical Trials Report — April 2026

For residents of Chapel Hill, April 2026 brings a critical window for those considering participation in clinical research, especially as many trials approach their enrollment deadlines. Across the city, 60 clinical trials are slated to conclude within the next 90 days. This urgency is particularly relevant for healthy volunteers, as 14 of these rapidly closing studies are still actively seeking participants without specific health conditions. Individuals interested in contributing to medical advancements should explore these options promptly.

Act Now: Trials Closing Soon

Patients managing certain health conditions also face impending deadlines to join research. Trials focused on various conditions, including mental health, cancer, and inflammatory diseases, are among those with limited time remaining for enrollment. Conditions with trials closing soon include:

• Depression (3 trials)
• Cancer (3 trials)
• Breast cancer (2 trials)
• Stage III pancreatic cancer AJCC V8 (2 trials)
• Colitis, ulcerative (2 trials)
• Relapse (2 trials)
• AML (1 trial)
• Alzheimer disease (1 trial)
• Alcohol use, unspecified (1 trial)
• Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear (1 trial)

New Opportunities in Chapel Hill Research

This month, Chapel Hill saw the opening of 9 new clinical trials, an increase from the 7 trials that launched in March 2026. This growth underscores the city's dynamic role in medical research. Of these new opportunities, 5 are actively seeking healthy volunteers, adding to the total of 73 trials currently recruiting healthy participants in Chapel Hill.

New trials this month are exploring a range of conditions, offering diverse opportunities for participation:

• Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (1 trial)
• Depression - major depressive disorder (1 trial)
• Healthy women (1 trial)
• Heart failure (1 trial)
• Heart failure, diastolic (1 trial)
• Heart failure, systolic (1 trial)
• Irritability (1 trial)
• Major depressive disorder (1 trial)
• Mast cell stabilizer (1 trial)
• Nutrition (1 trial)

The majority of these new studies are drug trials (4), followed by behavioral interventions (3), a device trial (1), a dietary supplement trial (1), and another type of study (1). Eligibility for these new trials is broad, with 6 studies including older adults, 2 designed specifically for female participants, and 1 trial open to children.

Academic institutions continue to drive much of the new research, with the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill sponsoring 6 new trials and UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center sponsoring 1. Industry sponsors, including Eli Lilly and Company and Incyte Corporation, are also contributing to the new research landscape with 1 trial each.

Spotlight on Key New Studies

April brings several notable new trials to Chapel Hill, including significant Phase 2 and 3 studies from major sponsors. These trials offer participants the chance to engage with cutting-edge treatments and diagnostic approaches across a range of health challenges.

• Incyte Corporation is launching NCT07522073, "A Study to Evaluate Chemotherapy With or Without INCB161734 in Previously Untreated, KRAS G12D-Mutated Metastatic Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma." This important Phase 3 oncology trial seeks 588 participants to evaluate the efficacy and safety of a new combination therapy.
• The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill is sponsoring NCT07526558, "Mast Cell Treatment in Post-tick Bite Illness (PTBI)." This is a Phase 2 double-blinded study designed for 50 participants to assess the safety, tolerability, and feasibility of mast cell stabilizing medications compared to standard care.
• UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center is leading NCT07526597, "Study on Treatment Outcome Patterns for Patients With CLL After Discontinuation of BTK Inhibitors." This Phase 2 study, aiming for 45 participants, examines outcomes for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients who have stopped Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitor (BTKi) therapy after at least two years of remission.
• Also from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NCT07526584, "Comparing the Effects of Front-of-Package Labeling Schemes in Indonesia," is a study designed for 1,000 participants. It aims to examine the effectiveness of different front-of-package labels in discouraging the consumption of products high in nutrients of concern.

Chapel Hill's Leading Research Hubs

Chapel Hill is a prominent center for medical research, with a total of 655 clinical trials currently recruiting across 205 research facilities. The University of North Carolina system consistently leads in the volume of clinical trials, making its various entities key destinations for individuals seeking to participate in medical research:

• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (131 trials)
• University of North Carolina (89 trials)
• UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center (88 trials)
• The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (17 trials)
• UNC Chapel Hill (15 trials)
• University of North Carolina Medical Center (15 trials)
• University of North Carolina Chapel Hill (12 trials)
• Research Site (11 trials)
• University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill (9 trials)
• University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (9 trials)
• Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center (9 trials)
• UNC Hospitals (8 trials)

These institutions offer a broad spectrum of research, from oncology at UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center to diverse medical fields across the various University of North Carolina entities.

Expanding Your Search: Nearby Cities

While Chapel Hill offers a robust array of clinical trial opportunities, individuals may also find options in nearby communities within North Carolina. Cities with active trials include Durham (8 trials), Winston-Salem (4 trials), Charlotte (2 trials), Greenville (1 trial), Hendersonville (1 trial), Morehead City (1 trial), Raleigh (1 trial), and Shelby (1 trial).

As we move further into spring, the focus will remain on the ongoing enrollment in these significant studies and the continued exploration of new therapeutic strategies, with Chapel Hill's robust research community at the forefront of medical innovation.