Gastro Care Institute is helping conduct several important clinical trials, paving the way to discovering new treatments for a variety of gastrointestinal diseases. You may be eligible to participate and receive the most innovative care available.

Current Running Trials

Ulcerative Colitis Studies

Symptoms

Ulcerative colitis symptoms can vary, depending on the severity of inflammation and where it occurs. Signs and symptoms may include:

  • Diarrhea, often with blood or pus
  • Abdominal pain and cramping
  • Rectal pain
  • Rectal bleeding — passing small amount of blood with stool
  • Urgency to defecate
  • Inability to defecate despite urgency
  • Weight loss
  • Fatigue
  • Fever
  • In children, failure to grow

Ulcerative Colitis Studies

You may be eligible if you:

  • Are 18-60 years of age
  • Have been diagnosed with active UC for ≥ 3 months
  • Have a Mayo score ≥ 6, an endoscopic subscore ≥2, rectal bleeding subscore ≥ 1, and a stool frequency score ≥ 1, regardless of standard of care history.
  • Have not received IV/rectal corticosteroids within 3 weeks, JAK inhibitors within 2 weeks, cyclosporine, mycophenolate, tacrolimus, or methotrexate within 5 weeks, anti-TNF-α biologics within 9 weeks, or any biologics for the treatment of UC within 12 weeks.
  • Do not have Crohn’s disease, indeterminate colitis, ischaemic colitis, fulminant colitis, toxic megacolon, chronic pancolitis, confined proctitis, symptomatic intestinal sternosis.
  • Have not had a positive C-diff test within the previous 60 days, have an active infection with HIV, hepatitis B or C, or any clinically significant active extraintestinal infection.

Eosinophilic Esophagitis

Symptoms

Signs and symptoms include:

  • Difficulty swallowing (dysphagia)
  • Food getting stuck in the esophagus after swallowing (impaction)
  • Chest pain that is often centrally located and does not respond to antacids
  • Backflow of undigested food (regurgitation)

Who is Eligible

  • Are 18-65 years of age
  • Have histologically active EoE with an esophageal PEC of ≥ 15 eos/hpf from any level of the esophagus at time going down of screening EGD
  • Have dysphagia, defined as solid food going down slowly or getting stuck in the throat, occurring ≥2 times weekly over a period of 2 weeks.
  • Do not have a history of non-EoE conditions that may impact evaluation, including EG, gastroenteritis, or colitis with esophageal involvement, GERD, or others.
  • Have not undergone esophageal stricture within the previous 12 weeks.
  • Have not used corticosteroids for the previous 8 weeks

Colonoscopy Studies

Study 1

You may be eligible if you:

  • Are 45-84 years of age
  • Are intending to undergo a screening colonoscopy
  • Are at average risk of colorectal cancer
  • Are willing to consent to a blood draw
  • Have not had a colonoscopy in the last 9 years
  • Have not had a positive FIT/FOBT result in the previous 6 months

Study 2

You may be eligible if you:

  • Are 45-85 years of age
  • Willing to undergo a screening colonoscopy
  • Are considered to be at average risk for colorectal cancer
  • Able and willing to provide blood samples
  • Have not had a colonoscopy in the last 9 years
  • Have not had a positive FIT/FOBT result in the previous 6 months

Study 3

You may be eligible if you:

  • Are 40 years of age or older
  • Are intending to undergo a screening colonoscopy
  • Have not had a positive Cologuard within the last 2 months
  • Have not had a colonoscopy in the last 9 years
  • Have not had a positive FIT/FOBT result in the previous 6 months

Study 4

You may be eligible if you:

  • Are 45-80 years of age
  • Have recently been diagnosed with primary colorectal cancer or advanced adenoma with plans to surgically remove the target lesion, OR are planning to undergo a screening colonoscopy within 30 days.
  • Are considered to be at average risk for colorectal cancer
  • Able and willing to provide blood samples

Study 5

You may be eligible if you:

  • Are 45-84 years of age
  • Have either:
    • A positive USPSTF approved NIST tests for colorectal cancer (FIT, FOBT, Cologuard, Epi proColon) within the previous 180 days and plan to undergo a diagnostic colonoscopy or biopsy, or
    • Confirmed diagnosis of colorectal cancer or advanced adenoma colon polyp within the previous 180 days who have not received surgical removal or treatment
  • Able and willing to provide blood samples

Please contact our office at 661-529-7550 to schedule an evaluation.