As of October 2026, 650 paid clinical trials are recruiting in Palo Alto, California. Compensation typically covers time, travel, and study visits, with stipends ranging from modest amounts for short outpatient studies to several thousand dollars for long or inpatient protocols.
Palo Alto offers studies at sites including Stanford University for conditions such as Breast Cancer, Epilepsy, Heart Failure, Acute Myeloid Leukemia. Both patients with specific conditions and healthy volunteers can qualify. Most trials offer free study-related medical care alongside compensation.
Recruiting trial data synced daily from ClinicalTrials.gov. Last sync: .
Researchers run research studies in Palo Alto, CA at 25 active sites. The clinics below currently host the largest number of recruiting studies — each name is followed by the conditions they focus on most.
| Site | Specializes in | Active trials |
|---|---|---|
| Stanford University | Myelodysplastic Syndromes, Amblyopia, Healthy | 170 |
| Stanford Cancer Institute Palo Alto | Anatomic Stage I Breast Cancer AJCC v8, Anatomic Stage II Breast Cancer AJCC v8, Recurrent Endometrial Carcinoma | 29 |
| Lucile Packard Children's Hospital | Hematologic Diseases, Heart Failure, Pneumonia | 29 |
| VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, CA | Homelessness, Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic, Substance Use Disorder | 28 |
| Stanford University Medical Center | Cystic Fibrosis, Prostate Cancer, Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia | 27 |
| Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford University | Osteosarcoma, Acute Myeloid Leukemia, B Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia | 23 |
| VA Palo Alto Health Care System | Alcohol Use Disorder, Advanced Malignant Solid Neoplasm, Alcohol Abuse | 21 |
| Palo Alto Medical Foundation Health Care | Anatomic Stage II Breast Cancer AJCC v8, Anatomic Stage IIIA Breast Cancer AJCC v8, HER2-Negative Breast Carcinoma | 20 |
| Stanford University School of Medicine | Epilepsy, Health Behavior, Lifestyle Intervention | 19 |
| Stanford Cancer Center | Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute, Advanced Breast Cancer, Advanced Solid Tumors | 18 |
| Stanford Cancer Institute | Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia, Breast Cancer, Small Lymphocytic Lymphoma | 17 |
| Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford | Surgery, Acute Kidney Injury, Acute Kidney Injury Due to Sepsis | 15 |
| Stanford | Epilepsy, Epilepsy (Treatment Refractory), AML (Acute Myelogenous Leukemia) | 10 |
| Stanford Neuroscience Health Center | Alzheimer's Disease, Amyloid, Becker Muscular Dystrophy | 10 |
| Stanford Hospital | Drug Liking, Angina Pectoris, Autoimmune | 8 |
| Byers Eye Institute at Stanford University | Glaucoma, Blindness, Eye Cancer | 6 |
| Stanford Medical Center | AML - Acute Myeloid Leukemia, Alzheimer Disease, Chronic Myeloid Leukemia | 6 |
| Stanford Medicine | B-cell Malignancy, Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia, Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 | 6 |
| Byers Eye Institute | Eye Disorders, Glaucoma, Astigmatism | 5 |
| Stanford Health Care | Cholecystitis, Cholecystitis, Chronic, Chronic Calculous Cholecystitis | 5 |
| Stanford University, School of Medicine | Liver Cancer, Adult, Lung Carcinoma, Lymphoma | 5 |
| Stanford Women's Cancer Center | Breast Cancer, Advanced Breast Cancer, Fallopian Tube Neoplasms | 5 |
| Lucille Packard Children's Hospital | Anesthesia, Local, Intubation Complication, Obstetric Pain | 4 |
| Stanford Medicine Children's Health | Adenovirus Infections, Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Colitis, Ulcerative | 4 |
| Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford | Cardiac MRI, Cell Free DNA, Congenital Heart Disease | 3 |
Recruiting trials in Palo Alto grouped by therapeutic area, drawn from ClinicalTrials.gov. Each bucket shows the most recent example studies.
There are approximately 650 recruiting clinical trials in Palo Alto, California listed on ClinicalTrials.gov. The number changes weekly as new studies open and others close enrollment.
Most recruiting trials in Palo Alto compensate participants for their time, travel, and study visits. Compensation varies by sponsor, study phase, and visit requirements — the exact amount is disclosed by the study team during the informed consent process.
Eligibility depends on the specific study. Each trial defines its own inclusion criteria (age, diagnosis, medical history, prior treatments) and exclusion criteria. Both patients with specific conditions and healthy volunteers can qualify, depending on the study design.
The most common conditions under active study in Palo Alto include Breast Cancer (9), Cancer (8), Epilepsy (7), Heart Failure (7), among many others. Browse the list above to explore every recruiting trial.
Yes. Healthy-volunteer studies — often early-phase pharmacology or vaccine trials — recruit in Palo Alto on an ongoing basis. Use the "Healthy volunteers only" filter above to view trials that accept participants without the study's target condition.
Click any study title above to see the full study record, including eligibility criteria, visit schedule, and the study team's contact information. Reach out to the central contact or recruiting site directly — they will guide you through screening and informed consent.
Recruiting research sites in Palo Alto include Stanford University, Stanford Cancer Institute Palo Alto, Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, among others. Each site lists its open studies and contact information on the study record above — call or email the site coordinator to ask about screening for a specific protocol.
The largest active categories in Palo Alto are Cancer & tumors (188), Neurology & pain (42), Cardiovascular (36). Use the filters above to narrow by therapeutic area, phase, age, or healthy-volunteer eligibility.