United States Clinical Trials Report — May 2026

May 2026 brings a critical call to action for individuals across the United States considering participation in clinical research. A significant number of trials are rapidly approaching their enrollment deadlines, creating an urgent window of opportunity for potential participants. Nationwide, 2,347 clinical trials are slated to close within the next 90 days. This includes 670 studies that are actively seeking healthy volunteers, offering a chance to contribute to medical science without needing a specific health condition. If you have been contemplating joining a trial, now is the time to explore these options before they are no longer available.

For patients managing specific health conditions, several areas of research are also facing impending deadlines. Trials focused on various types of cancer, neurological conditions, and cardiovascular health are among those with limited time remaining for enrollment. Conditions with trials closing soon include:

• Breast cancer
• Depression
• Obesity
• Stroke
• Heart failure
• Anxiety
• Hypertension
• Prostate cancer

New Opportunities for Healthy Volunteers

Beyond the closing trials, May also ushers in numerous new opportunities for healthy individuals to contribute to medical advancement. This month, 187 of the 703 newly opened trials are accepting healthy volunteers. This adds to the already substantial pool of 5,219 trials currently recruiting healthy participants across the country. These studies often focus on understanding normal bodily functions, evaluating new diagnostic methods, or assessing the safety of early-stage treatments.

Conditions specifically listed for new trials seeking healthy participants include "healthy" and "healthy volunteers," accounting for 21 new studies this month. This consistent demand for healthy participants underscores their vital role in establishing baselines and ensuring the safety of new interventions.

A Surge of New Research Across the Nation

The landscape of clinical research remains vibrant, with a total of 22,236 clinical trials currently recruiting across 2,765 cities and 42,936 research sites in the United States. This month alone saw the opening of 703 new trials, a notable increase from the 643 trials that opened in April 2026, and slightly more than the 675 new trials in March 2026. This consistent influx of new studies indicates a robust and expanding research environment.

Drug trials continue to lead the way in new research initiatives, with 252 new drug-related studies opening this month. Other significant areas of new research include behavioral interventions (127 new trials) and medical device studies (121 new trials), reflecting a diverse approach to addressing health challenges.

Geographic Hotspots: Where Research Thrives

The distribution of new clinical trials across the United States highlights key regions of research activity. California continues to lead the nation, with 150 new trials opening this month. Texas and New York follow, demonstrating strong research ecosystems. The top states for new trial openings are:

• California (150 new trials)
• Texas (97 new trials)
• New York (85 new trials)
• Florida (68 new trials)
• Massachusetts (68 new trials)
• Illinois (59 new trials)
• Pennsylvania (57 new trials)
• Ohio (54 new trials)
• North Carolina (44 new trials)
• Maryland (39 new trials)
• Tennessee (34 new trials)
• Minnesota (33 new trials)
• Georgia (32 new trials)
• Colorado (31 new trials)
• Michigan (25 new trials)

These states, particularly those on the coasts and in major population centers, often benefit from a concentration of leading academic medical centers, research institutions, and pharmaceutical companies. This creates a dense network of research opportunities for residents in these areas.

Within these states, major metropolitan areas serve as significant hubs for new research. New York City leads with 57 new trials, followed closely by Boston and Houston. The top cities for new trial openings are:

• New York, New York (57 new trials)
• Boston, Massachusetts (50 new trials)
• Houston, Texas (45 new trials)
• Chicago, Illinois (40 new trials)
• Los Angeles, California (31 new trials)
• Dallas, Texas (31 new trials)
• San Francisco, California (27 new trials)
• Columbus, Ohio (25 new trials)
• Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (24 new trials)
• Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (24 new trials)

While these cities offer a wealth of options, individuals in less populated regions may need to consider travel to access a broader range of studies. The concentration of research in these urban centers reflects the presence of specialized medical facilities and research infrastructure.

Conditions Under the Microscope

New trials opening this month are addressing a wide array of health conditions. Obesity and related conditions like overweight continue to be a significant focus, alongside common chronic diseases and various cancers. The most frequently studied conditions in new trials include:

• Obesity (16 new trials)
• Healthy (12 new trials)
• Overweight (10 new trials)
• Prostate cancer (9 new trials)
• Healthy volunteers (9 new trials)
• Type 2 diabetes (9 new trials)
• Breast cancer (7 new trials)
• Malignant solid neoplasm (6 new trials)
• Depression (6 new trials)
• Anxiety (5 new trials)

This distribution highlights ongoing efforts to combat widespread health issues and improve general well-being, as well as continued focus on oncology.

Major Initiatives and Leading Sponsors

This month's notable new trials include several large-scale observational studies and registries, often sponsored by leading academic and medical institutions. These initiatives aim to gather extensive real-world data to better understand disease progression, treatment effectiveness, and healthcare utilization.

• Brigham and Women's Hospital is sponsoring several significant studies, including NCT07610577, which will involve 377,753 participants to describe trends in the use and costs of P2Y12 inhibitors after acute myocardial infarction in Germany and the United States. They are also leading large-scale emulation studies using healthcare claims data, such as NCT07599384 (149,248 participants) to replicate the RECORD3 trial, NCT07599293 (39,614 participants) for the EMPEROR-Preserved Trial, and NCT07599345 (23,955 participants) for the EMPEROR-Reduced Trial. These studies aim to build an evidence base for real-world data analyses.
• The Canopy Cancer Collective, LLC is sponsoring NCT07605702, "The Canopy Cancer Collective Clinical Registry Protocol," a non-interventional study collecting comprehensive data on gastrointestinal cancer patients, with an aim for 100,000 participants.
• The University of California, San Francisco is leading NCT07604662, a pragmatic trial evaluating a machine learning-derived perioperative acute kidney injury risk score, targeting 25,518 participants.
• The University of Utah is sponsoring NCT07599943, "Population Health Management -Increase Lung Cancer Screening in Community Health Centers (LungSMART)," with 18,894 participants, focusing on increasing the reach of low-dose computed tomography screening for lung cancer.
• Longevity Metrics, Inc. is conducting the "100-Year Human Aging Study" (NCT07563777), a prospective, observational trial enrolling 10,000 participants to undergo comprehensive multi-system health screening and longitudinal follow-up.
• CorEvitas is sponsoring NCT07598981, the "PPDTM CorEvitasTM Obesity (OBR) Drug Effectiveness and Safety Registry," an open-ended prospective observational registry for 10,000 subjects living with excess weight or obesity.
• NYU Langone Health is evaluating "Cardiac Rehab Referral Nudges" (NCT07607522), an EHR-embedded intervention to improve cardiac rehabilitation referrals for 7,000 participants.
• Bristol-Myers Squibb is sponsoring NCT07571148, "Real-world Patient Characteristics, Treatment Patterns, and Healthcare Utilization Among KarXT Users," using existing health records and insurance claims data for 6,876 participants to understand KarXT usage for schizophrenia.

While the focus of these notable trials is largely on real-world data collection and health system interventions, the broader landscape of new trials includes 176 sponsored by industry, alongside significant contributions from academic institutions. City of Hope Medical Center (16 new trials), Mayo Clinic (15 new trials), and Stanford University (14 new trials) are among the top academic sponsors this month, demonstrating the crucial role of research hospitals and universities in driving new medical discoveries.

Who Can Participate? Demographics and Eligibility

Clinical trials are designed to be inclusive, with specific eligibility criteria to ensure safety and research integrity. Of the new trials opened this month, 561 include older adults, ensuring that research addresses the health needs of our aging population. Additionally, 102 new trials are open to children, providing opportunities for younger participants to contribute to advancements in pediatric care. Gender-specific studies are also part of the research landscape, with 61 new trials designed for female-only participants and 27 for male-only participants.

As we look forward, the continued expansion of clinical research offers diverse avenues for participation, from urgent opportunities in closing trials to groundbreaking new studies. Your involvement is essential to advancing medical knowledge and improving health outcomes for everyone.