Houston, TX Clinical Trials Report — July 2026

Houston residents should act promptly if they match a study closing within the next 90 days. The city has 118 recruiting trials approaching their projected closing window, including 10 that accept healthy volunteers. Houston remains a major Texas research center, with 2,844 recruiting trials across 1,057 facilities.

July added 51 new trials, down from 59 in June and May. The month’s openings span drug, device, behavioral, biological, diagnostic, and radiation research. Twelve of the new trials accept healthy volunteers, and 203 healthy-volunteer studies are recruiting in Houston overall.

Closing-soon studies are concentrated in cancer

People seeking cancer research should review eligibility now, because enrollment may end before a listed closing date if a study reaches its participant target. The conditions with the most closing-soon trials are:

• Cancer (4 trials)
• Prostate cancer (4 trials)
• Lymphoma (3 trials)
• Head and neck cancer (2 trials)
• Breast cancer (2 trials)
• Endometrial cancer (2 trials)
• Advanced solid tumor (2 trials)

Several closing studies specifically involve anatomic stage II or III breast cancer, including stage IIIA disease. Healthy volunteers have fewer closing-window options, with 10 of the 118 studies accepting them. Screening requirements, age limits, medication restrictions, and visit schedules vary, so prospective participants should contact the research site rather than assume they qualify.

Major new Phase 3 opportunities in Houston

Drug studies led July’s new-study activity with 22 openings, followed by 9 device trials. The new conditions included relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma, acute myeloid leukemia, advanced or metastatic solid tumors, alopecia areata, aplastic anemia, biliary tract cancer, and ALK-positive anaplastic large cell lymphoma.

• NCT07700979 is a Phase 3 Akeso study comparing cadonilimab plus chemotherapy with chemotherapy used with or without nivolumab for previously untreated, unresectable, or metastatic HER2-negative gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma. Planned enrollment is 900 participants.
• NCT07728188 is a Phase 3 AbbVie study evaluating injected etentamig plus oral pomalidomide against standard therapies in adults with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. The study plans to enroll 520 participants.
• NCT07720141, sponsored by M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, compares two approaches for increasing lung cancer screening among tobacco quitline clients. The study expects 650 participants.
• NCT07728123, sponsored by Westat, evaluates targeted, universal opt-in, and universal opt-out HIV screening approaches in emergency departments. It plans to enroll 84,000 participants.
• NCT07687238, sponsored by the University of California, San Francisco, studies ways to help families of hospitalized children access social and economic support services. Planned enrollment is 1,880 participants.
• NCT07710820, sponsored by RAI Services Company, evaluates whether access to a heated tobacco product affects cigarette reduction and smoking abstinence among current adult cigarette smokers. The study expects 1,060 participants.

Houston’s new-trial sponsors include the University of Texas Health Science Center, with 9 openings, and M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, with 5. Texas Woman’s University sponsors two. Industry sponsors include Aquestive Therapeutics, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Capsicure, LLC, and Dren Bio. Academic and other local research organizations account for much of the month’s activity, while industry sponsors account for 21 new trials.

MD Anderson and Houston’s academic centers offer the deepest access

Houston’s highest-volume research facilities are dominated by cancer centers and major academic hospitals. MD Anderson Cancer Center leads with 386 recruiting trials. Other listings for M D Anderson and University of Texas MD Anderson facilities also rank highly, reflecting the extensive range of oncology research available through affiliated locations and protocol listings.

• MD Anderson Cancer Center (386 trials)
• M D Anderson Cancer Center (259 trials)
• Baylor College of Medicine (174 trials)
• The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (136 trials)
• The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (136 trials)
• Houston Methodist Hospital (123 trials)
• Texas Children’s Hospital (105 trials)
• University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (85 trials)
• Research Site (79 trials)
• The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center (71 trials)
• UT MD Anderson Cancer Center (65 trials)
• Baylor College of Medicine/Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center (64 trials)

MD Anderson and its affiliated listings are especially important for people seeking oncology studies, including trials for blood cancers, breast cancer, prostate cancer, lymphoma, and advanced solid tumors. Baylor College of Medicine, the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston Methodist, and Texas Children’s Hospital broaden local options in cancer, children’s health, hospital-based care, and other specialties.

Healthy volunteers and other eligibility groups

Of July’s 51 new trials, 12 accept healthy volunteers. Nine include children, three are female-only, and two are male-only. Forty-one include older adults. These categories do not guarantee eligibility: each study may apply additional requirements involving age, health history, smoking status, medications, or travel to the research site.

Healthy adults may find opportunities in screening, smoking-related, behavioral, or other non-treatment studies, while people with a diagnosed condition should focus on trials matching their disease stage and treatment history. Because both new and closing studies can fill quickly, people who appear eligible should request a prescreening appointment soon.

Other Texas cities to consider

Participants willing to travel can broaden their search beyond Houston. Dallas has 27 nearby recruiting trials, followed by San Antonio with 17 and Austin with 12. Fort Worth, Richardson, Edinburg, Fort Sam Houston, and El Paso also have recruiting opportunities, with seven, five, three, two, and two trials respectively.

Houston’s monthly opening count has moved from 73 in February to 59 in March, 43 in April, 62 in May, 59 in June, and 51 in July. With a large active research base and many studies nearing their enrollment windows, July is a good time to compare Houston sites, check nearby Texas locations, and contact study teams before availability changes again.