Durham, NC Clinical Trials Report — July 2026

Durham participants should act quickly if they match a study scheduled to close soon: 44 recruiting trials are expected to close within the next 90 days, including 12 that accept healthy volunteers. Prostate cancer leads the closing-soon list with 3 studies, while metastatic cancer, dementia, mild cognitive impairment, colorectal cancer, metastatic prostate cancer, lung cancer, and endometrial cancer each have 2.

Durham remains one of North Carolina’s largest clinical research centers, with 956 recruiting trials across 224 research facilities. The city opened 15 new trials in July, matching May’s total and following 17 in June. People considering participation should contact study teams early because enrollment may end before a projected closing date if researchers reach their participant target.

Closing opportunities for patients and healthy volunteers

The closing-soon pipeline includes both cancer and neurological research. Conditions represented among the studies nearing their enrollment deadlines include:

• Prostate cancer (3 trials)
• Metastatic cancer (2 trials)
• Dementia (2 trials)
• Mild cognitive impairment (2 trials)
• Colorectal cancer (2 trials)
• Metastatic prostate cancer (2 trials)
• Lung cancer (2 trials)
• Endometrial cancer (2 trials)
• Alzheimer disease (1 trial)
• Breast cancer (1 trial)

Healthy volunteers have 12 closing-soon options, while 102 healthy-volunteer trials are recruiting across Durham overall. Eligibility can depend on age, sex, medications, prior diagnoses, and the ability to attend repeated visits. Healthy adults who are interested should review both the closing studies and the broader local pool now rather than waiting for a later month.

July brings pediatric, pain, cancer, and heart-failure studies

July’s new-trial mix includes 7 drug studies, 3 behavioral studies, 3 device studies, 2 biological studies, 2 procedure studies, and 1 study in another category. New conditions include acute ear and sinus infections in children, chronic low-back pain, breast cancer, heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, COVID-19, eating disorders, body image, erectile dysfunction, and COVID-19 vaccines.

• NCT07730814 is a Phase 4, 1,100-participant study sponsored by Nader Shaikh comparing available treatments for acute otitis media in children. Researchers are studying whether antibiotics help children recover more quickly from ear infections.
• NCT07732699 is a related Phase 4, 1,100-participant Nader Shaikh study of treatment options for acute sinusitis in children. Children are randomly assigned to treatment approaches so investigators can compare outcomes.
• NCT07679178 is a Duke University study enrolling 530 participants with high-impact chronic low-back pain, including veterans. The ENCompaSS program combines education, navigated care, and supported self-management with usual care.
• NCT07728188 is AbbVie’s Phase 3 study for adults with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. It compares injected etentamig plus oral pomalidomide with standard therapies and plans to enroll 520 participants.
• NCT07723469 is a Phase 3 SURGE Therapeutics study for people with stage II–III triple-negative breast cancer undergoing breast-conserving surgery. It compares intraoperative SRG-514 with standard care in 400 participants.
• NCT07686692 is a Duke University Phase 4 study enrolling 300 older adults with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction and iron deficiency. It evaluates intravenous ferric derisomaltose against placebo.

Duke University sponsors 8 of the new July studies, making it the most active named sponsor in the local monthly pipeline. Other sponsors include BioNTech SE, AbbVie, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, SURGE Therapeutics, and the VA Office of Research and Development. The month’s sponsorship mix includes 10 studies categorized as other, 3 industry-sponsored studies, 1 federal study, and 1 NIH study.

Duke sites anchor Durham’s research access

Duke-affiliated facilities account for most of the city’s largest research concentrations. Duke University Medical Center leads with 267 trials, followed by Duke University with 167. These sites support broad medical research, while Duke Cancer Institute and Duke Cancer Center provide concentrated oncology opportunities. The Durham VA Medical Center and Duke Eye Center add options for veterans, eye conditions, and related specialties.

• Duke University Medical Center (267 trials)
• Duke University (167 trials)
• Duke University Hospital (54 trials)
• Duke University Health System (42 trials)
• Duke Cancer Institute (39 trials)
• Duke Cancer Center (31 trials)
• Durham VA Medical Center, Durham, NC (24 trials)
• Research Site (21 trials)
• Durham VA Medical Center (19 trials)
• Duke University Eye Center (12 trials)
• Duke University School of Medicine (12 trials)
• Duke Eye Center (11 trials)

Patients considering cancer studies may find the greatest concentration through Duke Cancer Institute and Duke Cancer Center, while veterans can begin with the Durham VA Medical Center. People with eye conditions can check Duke University Eye Center and Duke Eye Center. Because facility names can overlap across listings, applicants should confirm the exact site and contact details with the study team.

Eligibility and nearby alternatives

Among July’s 15 new trials, 4 include children, 2 are female-only, and 1 is male-only. 8 include older adults. These categories make the new pipeline relevant to families, older patients, and people seeking sex-specific eligibility, although each protocol has additional requirements.

Participants willing to travel can also search nearby North Carolina cities. Chapel Hill has 9 recruiting trials, Charlotte and Winston-Salem have 5 each, and Shelby and Raleigh have 2 each. Research Triangle Park, Salisbury, and Wilmington each have 1 recruiting trial.

Durham’s monthly opening count has ranged from 14 to 17 during most of the February–July period, with 2 listed for August so far. As new studies continue to appear and current studies approach their enrollment limits, checking Durham facilities regularly will give eligible patients and volunteers the best chance to connect with a suitable opportunity.