South Carolina Clinical Trials Report — July 2026

South Carolina residents considering a clinical trial should check eligibility soon: 61 recruiting studies are expected to close within the next 90 days, including 5 that accept healthy volunteers. The most time-sensitive opportunities involve depression, stroke, prostate cancer, cancer more broadly, and atopic dermatitis. Screening can take time, so people who match a closing study should contact the research site now rather than wait for the projected deadline.

At the same time, South Carolina has 1,185 trials currently recruiting across 52 cities and 658 research sites. Researchers opened 16 new studies in July, fewer than the 36 that opened in June and the 36 reported for May. The slower month still brought several substantial drug and vaccine studies, including Phase 2 and Phase 3 programs from Sanofi, AstraZeneca, Novo Nordisk, and Inmagene.

Closing studies create a narrow window for several conditions

Depression leads South Carolina’s closing-soon list with 4 studies. Stroke, prostate cancer, cancer overall, and atopic dermatitis each have 3 trials projected to close within 90 days. Substance use disorders, lupus nephritis, pain, and cannabis use each account for 2 closing studies. Another study involves alcohol use without a more specific classification.

• Depression — 4 closing-soon trials
• Stroke, prostate cancer, cancer, and atopic dermatitis — 3 each
• Substance use disorders, lupus nephritis, pain, and cannabis use — 2 each
• Alcohol use, unspecified — 1

Only 5 of the 61 trials nearing closure accept healthy volunteers. That makes the timing especially important for people without a diagnosed condition who are looking for research participation. South Carolina has 103 healthy-volunteer studies recruiting overall, but availability varies by location, age, and study requirements. Prospective participants should verify that a site is still screening before arranging an appointment.

July’s new studies include major Phase 2 and Phase 3 opportunities

The month’s new trials span aphasia, cystic fibrosis, eczema, urothelial cancer, and healthy-control research. Drug studies were the largest category, with 8 new trials. Other study types accounted for 4, while biological interventions and combination products contributed 2 each; devices also represented 2 new studies.

Several new studies stand out because of their scale or sponsor:

• NCT07734649 — Sanofi’s Phase 1/2 RSV and human metapneumovirus vaccine study for adults age 60 and older. It plans to enroll 2,400 participants and will assess immune response and safety.
• NCT07720271 — Novo Nordisk’s Phase 3 AMAZE 9 study of daily zenagamtide tablets for people with excess body weight. The trial plans to enroll 950 participants and compares zenagamtide with placebo.
• NCT07720284 — AstraZeneca’s Phase 3 study of dato-DXd plus rilvegostomig versus standard care for adults with high-risk muscle-invasive urothelial carcinoma after surgery. Planned enrollment is 915 participants.
• NCT07691970 — AstraZeneca’s Phase 3 rollover study providing continued access to anifrolumab, also known as Saphnelo, for eligible participants who benefited from a previous study. It plans to include 1,072 participants.
• NCT07734415 — Inmagene’s Phase 2 long-term safety and efficacy study of IMG-007 for moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis, with planned enrollment of 400 participants.
• NCT07696338 — The REACT study, sponsored by Nicole Hamblett, examining airway-clearance approaches for people with cystic fibrosis, including hypertonic saline and dornase alfa. It plans to enroll 405 participants.

Another new opportunity, NCT07731399, is sponsored by Guardian Research Network, Inc. and plans to enroll 1,200 South Carolina Medicaid-enrolled patients with type 2 diabetes and metabolically healthy controls. The study combines clinical assessments, medical-record information, cognitive and mood measures, wearable technology, and lifestyle data. It may appeal to people interested in contributing information to research even when the study does not involve an experimental treatment.

Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center are also sponsoring NCT07685977, a 400-participant study of robotic bronchoscopy and rapid onsite evaluation for minimally invasive diagnosis and next-generation sequencing. Its purpose is to assess whether rapid onsite evaluation improves diagnostic performance.

Charleston dominates new activity, with opportunities elsewhere

New trial openings are concentrated in the Charleston area. Charleston recorded 10 new trials, North Charleston had 2, and nearby Myrtle Beach had 3. This coastal concentration makes the Charleston region the state’s most active destination for July openings, particularly for studies led by the Medical University of South Carolina.

• Charleston — 10 new trials
• Myrtle Beach — 3
• North Charleston — 2
• Simpsonville, Spartanburg, Anderson, Walhalla, Columbia, and Orangeburg — 1 each

The list also shows that research is not limited to one metropolitan area. New studies appeared in the Upstate, including Simpsonville, Spartanburg, Anderson, and Walhalla, as well as in Columbia and Orangeburg. People outside Charleston should search by city and travel distance rather than assuming the best match will be at the state’s largest research hub. A trial may have only one participating site in South Carolina, even when the overall study is national or international.

Who may qualify for July opportunities?

Two of the 16 new trials include children, one is female-only, and one is male-only. Older adults are included in 14 new-trial eligibility descriptions. The Sanofi vaccine study is particularly relevant to adults age 60 and older, while other age requirements may differ by condition and protocol.

The Medical University of South Carolina sponsored 5 of the new studies, making it the most prominent named sponsor in July and reinforcing Charleston’s central role. AstraZeneca opened 2 studies. Guardian Research Network, Inmagene, Nicole Hamblett, Novo Nordisk, Sanofi, and the University of South Carolina each sponsored 1. Across sponsor categories, 9 studies were classified as other and 7 as industry-sponsored.

Healthy adults should act promptly if they are considering one of the five closing studies that accepts volunteers, while people with depression, stroke, prostate cancer, cancer, atopic dermatitis, lupus nephritis, pain, or substance-use conditions should review closing dates carefully. Patients with cystic fibrosis, urothelial cancer, type 2 diabetes, excess body weight, or moderate-to-severe eczema may find more recently opened options, including several Phase 2 and Phase 3 studies.

South Carolina’s trial landscape is likely to keep shifting through the rest of 2026. New openings may create alternatives as other studies reach enrollment limits, making monthly searches and early contact with research sites useful for anyone hoping to participate.