San Diego, CA Clinical Trials Report — May 2026

For San Diegans considering participation in clinical research, May 2026 brings both urgent opportunities and new avenues for contributing to medical science. Across the city, a significant number of trials are nearing their enrollment deadlines, making prompt action essential for interested individuals.

A total of 43 clinical trials are slated to conclude within the next 90 days. This urgency is particularly relevant for healthy volunteers, as 11 of these rapidly closing studies are still actively seeking participants without specific health conditions. These trials offer a chance to contribute to medical advancements before their enrollment windows close.

Act Now: Trials Nearing Their End in San Diego

Patients managing specific health conditions also face impending deadlines to join research. Trials focused on various conditions are among those with limited time remaining for enrollment. Conditions with trials closing soon include:

• HIV (2 trials)
• Advanced solid tumor (1 trial)
• Behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvftd) (1 trial)
• Alcohol use, unspecified (1 trial)
• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (1 trial)
• Basal cell carcinoma (1 trial)
• Alcohol use disorder (1 trial)
• Bladder cancer (1 trial)
• Bladder pain syndrome (1 trial)
• Blood loss (1 trial)

For those without specific health conditions, 11 of these closing trials are still accepting healthy volunteers, presenting a timely opportunity to contribute to medical progress.

New Research Opportunities Emerge This Month

This month, San Diego saw the opening of 11 new clinical trials, a slight decrease from the 13 trials that launched in March 2026. This brings the total number of actively recruiting clinical trials in San Diego, CA, to 707 across 333 research facilities, underscoring the city's robust research landscape.

New trials this month are exploring a range of conditions, with the most frequent being obesity (3 trials), colorectal cancer (1 trial), dementia (1 trial), and heart failure (1 trial). Drug trials account for the largest share of new studies, with 6 new drug trials, followed by 2 behavioral trials and 2 other types of studies. The trend over the past six months shows fluctuating activity, with 26 new trials in December 2025, 12 in January, 21 in February, 12 in March, 10 in April, and 11 this May.

Spotlight on Notable New Trials

May brings several high-profile new trials to San Diego, 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.

• Novo Nordisk A/S is initiating a notable Phase 3 study, NCT07567001, "A Research Study to Look at How Well NNC0487-0111 Works Compared to Placebo in People With Heart Failure and Obesity." This trial aims for 5,610 participants to evaluate the safety and effect of NNC0487-0111 in individuals with Heart Failure with preserved or mildly reduced Ejection Fraction and excess body weight.
• Another Phase 3 study from Novo Nordisk A/S is NCT07564414, "A Research Study to Look at How Two Different Doses of CagriSema and One Dose of Semaglutide Help People Living With Obesity With or Without Type 2 Diabetes Lose Weight." This study involves 2,500 participants and is testing how the study medicine CagriSema helps people living with obesity, with or without type 2 diabetes, lose weight.
• Eli Lilly and Company is sponsoring NCT07602582, "A Study of Donanemab (LY3002813) in Participants Who Completed Study AACM (TRAILBLAZER-ALZ 3-EXT)." This Phase 3 study involves 550 participants and aims to determine if participants who previously took donanemab for Alzheimer's disease receive clinical benefit from annual doses.
• A third Phase 3 study from Novo Nordisk A/S is NCT07571005, "AMAZE 3: A Research Study Investigating How Well the Medicine NNC0487-0111 Helps People With Excess Body Weight and Obstructive Sleep Apnoea Not Treated With Positive Airway Pressure Lose Weight and Improve Sleep Apnoea." This trial seeks 300 participants to look at the efficacy and safety of NNC0487-0111 in individuals with excess body weight and obstructive sleep apnoea.
• The Canopy Cancer Collective, LLC is leading NCT07605702, "The Canopy Cancer Collective Clinical Registry Protocol," a large observational registry protocol aiming for 100,000 participants to systematically collect comprehensive data on gastrointestinal cancer patients.
• Altesa Biosciences, Inc. is sponsoring NCT07610395, "Trial Comparing the Safety and Efficacy of Two Different Oral VPV Doses With Placebo as Treatment for RV in Participants With COPD." This Phase 2 study involves 180 participants and aims to determine the appropriate dose of vapendavir to reduce the severity and/or duration of respiratory symptoms associated with RV infections in patients with COPD.

Leading Research Hubs in San Diego

San Diego is home to several leading research institutions and facilities that consistently run a high volume of clinical trials. These sites are key destinations for individuals seeking to participate in medical research:

• University of California, San Diego (40 trials)
• University of California San Diego (38 trials)
• Rady Children's Hospital (35 trials)
• Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego (32 trials)
• Research Site (24 trials)
• UC San Diego Medical Center - Hillcrest (22 trials)
• VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA (22 trials)
• Kaiser Permanente-San Diego Zion (21 trials)
• San Diego State University (15 trials)
• Rady Children's Hospital San Diego (14 trials)
• Naval Medical Center San Diego (11 trials)
• Sharp Memorial Hospital (9 trials)

These institutions offer a broad spectrum of research, from academic studies at UC San Diego and San Diego State University to specialized pediatric research at Rady Children's Hospital and veteran care at the VA San Diego Healthcare System.

Expanding Your Search: Nearby California Cities

While San Diego offers a vast array of clinical trial opportunities, individuals may also find options in nearby communities within California. Cities with active trials include:

• Los Angeles (31 trials)
• San Francisco (27 trials)
• Duarte (17 trials)
• Palo Alto (12 trials)
• Irvine (11 trials)
• La Jolla (8 trials)
• Stanford (7 trials)
• Beverly Hills (6 trials)

Who Can Participate? Eligibility and Healthy Volunteer Options

Participation in clinical trials is open to a diverse range of individuals. Of the 11 new trials launched this month, 11 include older adults, ensuring that senior populations have ample opportunity to contribute to medical science. There are no new trials specifically for children, or female-only or male-only participants this month. Academic institutions and industry sponsors are both driving significant research efforts in San Diego, with 6 new trials sponsored by industry, 3 by other organizations, and 2 by networks.

For individuals without a specific medical condition, there are significant opportunities to contribute to research. Only 1 of the 11 new trials launched this month is actively seeking healthy volunteers. However, across San Diego, a total of 91 clinical trials are currently recruiting healthy participants, providing numerous avenues for those interested in supporting medical research.

As we move further into spring, San Diego's robust research community will continue to drive medical innovation, offering diverse opportunities for individuals to contribute to the future of healthcare.