United States Clinical Trials Report — February 2026

For patients and healthy volunteers considering clinical trial participation, February 2026 brings an urgent call to action. Across the United States, 1,286 clinical trials are slated to close their enrollment within the next 90 days. This represents a significant window of opportunity that is rapidly narrowing for those looking to contribute to medical research.

Crucially, 368 of these soon-to-close studies are actively seeking healthy volunteers. If you've been considering participating in research but don't have a specific medical condition, now is the time to explore these options before they are no longer available. For individuals managing specific health conditions, the impending closures affect a range of research areas, including:

• Healthy volunteer studies
• Breast cancer
• Prostate cancer
• Mild cognitive impairment
• General cancer research
• Sleep disorders
• Stroke recovery
• Obesity management
• Anxiety disorders
• Alzheimer disease

Expanding Opportunities for Healthy Volunteers

Beyond the trials closing soon, new opportunities are continuously emerging for healthy individuals. This month alone, 205 new trials opened their doors specifically to healthy volunteers, adding to the nationwide total of 5,294 studies currently recruiting participants without specific conditions. These trials are vital for establishing baselines, testing preventive measures, and understanding human physiology. They offer a direct way to contribute to scientific advancement without requiring a diagnosis.

A Look at the National Research Landscape

The clinical trial ecosystem remains robust, with 22,260 studies currently recruiting across 2,756 cities and 43,579 research sites nationwide. This month saw a notable increase in new research initiatives, with 740 new trials opening, compared to 648 in January. This upward trend indicates a dynamic and expanding research environment.

Geographically, clinical trial activity continues to be concentrated in states with major academic medical centers and pharmaceutical industry hubs. The top states for new trial launches this month include:

• California (137 new trials)
• Texas (129 new trials)
• New York (94 new trials)
• Florida (86 new trials)
• Massachusetts (66 new trials)
• Illinois (59 new trials)
• Ohio (58 new trials)
• Pennsylvania (55 new trials)

These states consistently lead in research volume, offering a wide array of options for participants. The concentration of activity in these regions is often due to the presence of large university hospitals, specialized research institutions, and significant funding for medical innovation. While these states offer the most options, trials are opening in diverse locations across the country, ensuring opportunities are not limited to a few major centers.

Similarly, major metropolitan areas serve as focal points for new research. The cities with the highest number of new trials this month are:

• Houston, Texas (58 new trials)
• New York, New York (53 new trials)
• Boston, Massachusetts (52 new trials)
• Chicago, Illinois (46 new trials)
• Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (36 new trials)
• San Francisco, California (34 new trials)
• Miami, Florida (31 new trials)
• Dallas, Texas (25 new trials)
• Atlanta, Georgia (24 new trials)
• Los Angeles, California (23 new trials)

This urban concentration means that residents in or near these cities often have more immediate access to a broader range of studies. However, the widespread distribution across thousands of sites indicates that research is accessible in many smaller communities as well.

Key Areas of New Research and Notable Sponsors

This month's new trials span a broad spectrum of health conditions and intervention types. The most frequently studied conditions in new trials include:

• Obesity (14 new trials)
• Healthy participants (18 new trials, combining "healthy" and "healthy participants" categories)
• Breast cancer (9 new trials)
• Anxiety (9 new trials)
• Type 2 diabetes (8 new trials)
• Overweight (8 new trials)
• Parkinson disease (6 new trials)
• Alzheimer disease (6 new trials)
• Multiple sclerosis (6 new trials)

In terms of intervention types, drug trials lead the way with 242 new studies, followed by behavioral interventions (166), and device studies (113). This diversity reflects the multi-faceted approach researchers are taking to address health challenges.

Major sponsors are driving much of this new research. Academic and institutional leaders such as M.D. Anderson Cancer Center (16 new trials), the VA Office of Research and Development (12 new trials), University of California, San Francisco (10 new trials), Mayo Clinic (9 new trials), Yale University (9 new trials), Massachusetts General Hospital (9 new trials), and Brigham and Women's Hospital (8 new trials) are highly active. Industry sponsors are also significant contributors, with Eli Lilly and Company launching 8 new trials this month, demonstrating a strong commitment from pharmaceutical companies to developing new treatments.

Spotlight on Large-Scale and Innovative Studies

Several notable new trials highlight the cutting edge of medical research, often involving large participant numbers or innovative methodologies:

• A significant initiative from Brigham and Women's Hospital is building an empirical evidence base for real-world data through large-scale emulation of randomized controlled trials. This includes studies like "INcreTin-based thERapies for Cardiovascular Event PrevenTion in Patients With and Without ASCVD (INTERCEPT-ASCVD)" (NCT07417618), aiming for 60,000 participants, "Emulation of the REWIND Cardiovascular Outcomes Trial in Healthcare Claims Data" (NCT07417631) with 30,000 participants, and "Comparative Effectiveness of Oral Semaglutide vs Sitagliptin Among Individuals With Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction (STEP-HFpEF DM ORAL)" (NCT07390110) targeting 25,664 participants. These studies are crucial for understanding how treatments perform in diverse patient populations outside of traditional trial settings.
• Truway Health, Inc. is sponsoring "Mobile Behavioral Activation Program With Wearable Sensors and Secure Activity Verification" (NCT07382804), a study evaluating a mobile-integrated behavioral activation program for adults, designed to improve daily productivity and motivation, seeking 227,000 participants.
• Novartis Pharmaceuticals is sponsoring "A Study to Assess the Real-World Effectiveness of Inclisiran and PCSK9 mAbs in Chinese Hypercholesterolemia Adult Patients" (NCT07409636), aiming for 11,991 participants to describe the effectiveness of cholesterol-lowering therapies in a real-world setting.
• Weill Medical College of Cornell University is conducting a "Genetic Developmental and Epileptic Encephalopathy Natural History Study for Clinical Trial Readiness" (NCT07413211), a non-interventional longitudinal study of children and adults with genetic DEE, planning for 22,068 participants.
• The University of California, San Francisco is establishing a "UCSF Center for Genome Surgery Biobank and Registry" (NCT07396285), a foundational effort for gene editing research, aiming for 10,000 participants.
• Heart Input Output Inc. is conducting "A Prospective Analysis To Assess The Potential Use Of ECGio In Clinical Practice" (NCT07405866), an observational study to evaluate an AI-assistive algorithm for coronary disease, targeting 10,000 participants.
• Duke University's "Duke Virtual IntEgrated Workflow" (NCT07406074) is a quality improvement initiative evaluating virtual care technologies, seeking 10,000 participants.
• Vanderbilt University Medical Center is studying "A Study of Electronic Clinical Decision Support Tools for Steatotic Liver Disease" (NCT07382349), aiming for 7,200 participants to improve provider decision-making for metabolic-dysfunction associated steatotic liver disease.
• The University of Florida is developing and evaluating a machine learning algorithm for hepatitis C screening in emergency departments with "Assessing Performance of a Hepatitis C Emergency Department (HepC-EnD) Screening Tool: IT Integration Process for Electronic Health Record System" (NCT07406490), targeting 6,466 participants.
• Baylor Research Institute is leading "Smartphone-enabled Hybrid Identification of Early CoLorectal Disease Using Blood-Based Cancer Testing Across TeXas" (NCT07398456), an implementation study on blood-based screening for colorectal cancer, aiming for 5,500 participants.

Diverse Eligibility for Participation

Clinical research strives for broad representation, and this month's new trials reflect that commitment. Of the 740 new studies, 109 are open to children, expanding opportunities for pediatric patients. Older adults are also a significant focus, with 593 new trials specifically including senior populations. Additionally, 63 new trials are designed for female-only participants, and 13 for male-only, addressing gender-specific health questions. These varied eligibility criteria ensure that individuals from many demographic backgrounds can find relevant research opportunities.

As we move further into 2026, the landscape of clinical trials will continue to evolve, with ongoing efforts to integrate real-world data, leverage technology for broader participation, and address a wide array of health conditions. The coming months are expected to bring further advancements in targeted therapies and preventive strategies, offering new avenues for individuals to contribute to and benefit from medical progress.