Kentucky Clinical Trials Report — July 2026

Kentucky residents considering a clinical trial should check eligibility now: 47 recruiting studies are expected to close within the next 90 days, including 10 that accept healthy volunteers. The most time-sensitive areas include advanced solid tumors, lung cancer, ovarian cancer, alcohol-related conditions, atopic dermatitis, and heart-rhythm disorders. Enrollment dates can change, and screening may take time, so people who match a closing study should contact the research site promptly.

Kentucky currently has 970 recruiting trials across 52 cities and 552 research sites. The state added 15 new trials in July, half the 30 that opened in June. The recent pattern has been uneven: 22 new trials opened in February, followed by 18 in March, 18 in April, 15 in May, 30 in June, and 15 in July. The data also list 5 new trials for August, suggesting that recruitment activity may remain active but selective over the coming months.

Closing studies create a narrow window for patients and healthy volunteers

Cancer-related studies make up a large share of the trials approaching their projected closing dates. Advanced solid tumor and lung cancer studies each account for 2 closing-soon trials, as do ovarian cancer studies. Another study addresses advanced solid malignancies. People with alcohol-related concerns may find several urgent opportunities, including trials involving alcohol risk behaviors, alcohol use disorder, and alcohol-associated liver disease.

• Advanced solid tumor and lung cancer — 2 closing-soon trials each
• Ovarian cancer — 2
• Advanced solid malignancies, alcohol risk behaviors, alcohol use disorder, alcohol-associated liver disease, atopic dermatitis, atrial arrhythmia, and atrial tachycardia — 1 each

Healthy adults have 10 closing-soon opportunities among the 47 studies nearing the end of recruitment. Across Kentucky, 81 trials currently accept healthy volunteers, including 4 of the 15 studies that opened in July. People without a diagnosed condition should search early because healthy-volunteer studies can involve limited enrollment and may close once the required number of participants has been screened.

July brings Phase 2 and Phase 3 drug studies, plus a statewide screening project

Drug trials led July’s new activity, with 10 of the 15 new studies using drugs. Behavioral studies accounted for 2, devices for 2, and dietary supplement and procedure studies for 1 each. Industry sponsors opened 8 new trials, while 7 were classified as other sponsors. The month’s new conditions included ADHD, alcohol-associated liver disease, alcohol use disorder, alcoholic cirrhosis, ACL reconstruction surgery, autism spectrum disorder, B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma, biomarkers, cannabis use, and degenerative disc disease.

• NCT07717879 — Axsome Therapeutics’ Phase 3 solriamfetol study for children ages 6 to under 12 with ADHD.
• NCT07717892 — Axsome Therapeutics’ companion Phase 3 solriamfetol study for adolescents ages 12 to under 18 with ADHD.
• NCT07690371 — Nektar Therapeutics’ Phase 3 study of rezpegaldesleukin for people age 12 and older with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis.
• NCT07682896 — Yarrow Bioscience’s Phase 2 evaluation of YB-101 for safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and efficacy in Graves’ disease.
• NCT07680764 — Bristol-Myers Squibb’s Phase 2 study combining imzokitug, pumitamig, and platinum-doublet chemotherapy as first-line treatment for locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer.

The two Axsome studies are particularly relevant for families because both focus on younger people with ADHD and use randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled designs. Nektar’s study offers a later-stage option for adolescents and adults with significant atopic dermatitis. Its inclusion of participants age 12 and older also makes it one of the July openings that may interest both families and older patients.

Another major new opportunity is NCT07682610, a statewide lung cancer screening quality-improvement study sponsored by Timothy Mullett. The project plans to involve 35,500 participants and examines how Kentucky can improve implementation of lung cancer screening through the QUILS System. Unlike a conventional drug trial, this health-services research intervention focuses on improving screening delivery across the state.

Other notable openings include NCT07721493, a study sponsored by Providence Medical Technology evaluating the CORUS Posterior Cervical Stabilization System 3D for two-level cervical degenerative disease, and NCT07694089, a Phase 2 study comparing approaches to managing swelling around high-grade brain tumors after surgery. The cervical-device study plans to enroll 225 participants, while the brain-tumor study plans to enroll 80.

Louisville and Lexington lead, but new research reaches smaller communities

New trial activity is concentrated in Kentucky’s largest medical and academic centers, led by Louisville with 6 new studies and Lexington with 4. Bowling Green follows with 3. This pattern reflects the role of major hospitals and research networks in recruiting participants for drug, device, and procedure studies.

• Louisville — 6 new trials
• Lexington — 4
• Bowling Green — 3
• Bardstown, Owensboro, and Paducah — 2 each
• Maysville, Morehead, Mount Vernon, and Somerset — 1 each

The geographic spread is broader than the three leading cities suggest. New July studies also opened in Bardstown, Owensboro, Paducah, Maysville, Morehead, Mount Vernon, and Somerset. Residents outside Louisville and Lexington should search by condition and city rather than assuming that participation requires travel to the state’s largest metropolitan areas. Some studies may have several Kentucky sites, while others may recruit at only one location.

Children, older adults, and healthy volunteers have identifiable options

5 of July’s new trials include children, reflecting the ADHD studies and other research involving younger participants. 10 new trials include older adults. No new studies are listed as female-only or male-only, so eligibility is more likely to depend on diagnosis, age, prior treatment, surgery history, or other study-specific requirements.

People with ADHD, moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis, Graves’ disease, lung cancer, cervical degenerative disease, or high-grade gliomas should review the new studies first. Patients with ovarian cancer, advanced solid tumors, alcohol-related conditions, or atrial rhythm disorders should also act quickly if they match a closing-soon listing. Healthy adults should focus on the 81 statewide recruiting studies that accept volunteers without the target condition, with particular attention to the 10 such studies nearing closure.

July’s lower number of openings does not mean Kentucky’s research market is quiet. With nearly 1,000 trials recruiting and new Phase 2 and Phase 3 studies entering the state, patients and volunteers should continue checking listings as sites update their enrollment plans through late summer and into the fall.