Mississippi Clinical Trials Report — March 2026

Approaching Deadlines for Mississippi Research Studies

Time is running out for Mississippi residents to join several critical medical studies. Within the next ninety days, 14 clinical trials will permanently close their enrollment windows statewide. This impending deadline creates a brief but vital opportunity for participation, particularly for individuals without underlying medical conditions, as 2 of these closing studies are actively seeking healthy volunteers. Patients currently managing specific diagnoses must act quickly to access these final enrollment phases before the research moves into the data analysis stage. The studies shutting down soon are focused on a diverse range of acute and chronic conditions, heavily impacting those seeking alternative therapies for severe illnesses. Final enrollment phases are approaching quickly for studies focused on the following conditions:

• End-stage renal disease and chronic kidney disease requiring dialysis
• Anatomic stage II and stage III breast cancer
• Acute COVID-19 infections
• Cryptogenic stroke
• Gout flares
• Fallopian tube conditions

Academic Innovation and Late-Stage Clinical Launches

March brings a fresh wave of research opportunities to the state, with 5 new trials opening this month. This represents a steady rebound from the single study launched in January and continues the momentum built during the late winter months. Academic and public health institutions are driving this month's clinical development, offering local patients access to experimental diagnostics, medical devices, and behavioral interventions. Several notable trials from major research institutions are currently seeking participants to help advance medical science:

• Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health has launched a Phase 3 study (NCT07458230) investigating the use of next-generation sequencing to treat surgical site infections after high-energy fracture fixation. This trial aims to enroll two hundred fifty participants to address severe wound-healing complications, which can affect up to sixty percent of patients with severe bone injuries.
• The University of Mississippi Medical Center is conducting a highly specialized diagnostic study (NCT07461662) evaluating endobronchial ultrasound needle cleaning techniques. This research will assess how different cleaning methods impact specimen contamination during lung cancer staging procedures, a critical step that directly influences treatment decisions and patient prognosis.
• My Brother's Keeper, Inc. is recruiting seven hundred participants for a large-scale behavioral intervention (NCT07446764) designed to integrate routine, opt-out HIV and STI screening alongside pre-exposure prophylaxis navigation. This structural intervention targets adults receiving care at Federally Qualified Health Centers across the state.

Emerging Focus Areas in Diagnostics and Behavioral Health

The newly launched studies for March shift away from traditional pharmaceutical testing, focusing heavily on behavioral interventions and advanced diagnostic testing. Three of the new trials are behavioral in nature, while two focus on diagnostic tests and one explores medical device applications. Researchers are actively seeking patients recently diagnosed with or currently managing a highly specific array of conditions. The latest research initiatives are targeting:

• Locally advanced or metastatic lung cancer
• Squamous cell anal cancer
• Postoperative rehabilitation and hand injuries
• Sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV, chlamydia, and gonorrhea

Statewide Access and Research Hubs

Mississippi maintains a robust and accessible clinical research infrastructure for its residents. There are currently 362 active trials recruiting across the state, distributed among 38 cities and over two hundred individual research sites. Geographically, new research opportunities are anchored in the state capital, providing a dense concentration of advanced care options. Jackson leads the way by hosting three of the newly opened trials. However, residents living outside the central metropolitan area still have excellent opportunities to participate in medical advancement. New trials have opened their doors this month in several municipalities across different regions of the state, spanning from the Gulf Coast to the Golden Triangle:

• Jackson
• Biloxi
• Ridgeland
• Starkville

Broad Eligibility and Healthy Volunteer Opportunities

Eligibility criteria for this month's new studies are highly inclusive of aging demographics, ensuring that older populations can actively participate in scientific discovery. Four of the newly launched trials have specifically designed their protocols to include older adults, reflecting a commitment to understanding how medical interventions affect senior populations. None of the new trials restrict participation exclusively to men or women, ensuring broad gender access to these experimental therapies. Currently, none of the new trials launched this month are enrolling pediatric patients.

For individuals without a specific medical diagnosis, the research landscape offers substantial opportunities to contribute to medical science. Three of this month's newly launched trials are actively welcoming healthy volunteers. This brings the total number of open, recruiting trials for healthy participants across Mississippi to 27. These trials rely heavily on healthy individuals to establish crucial baseline data for future medical breakthroughs, making community participation essential for scientific progress. Healthy volunteers often participate in observational studies, provide biological samples, or help test the safety of new diagnostic devices before they are used on vulnerable patient populations.

As the spring research season progresses, Mississippi's clinical trial landscape is positioned to expand its focus on advanced diagnostic sequencing and integrated public health interventions, shaping the future of preventive care and post-surgical infection management across the region.