COLUMBIA, SC
Chronic Kidney Disease Clinical Trials
10 paid kidney studies are enrolling near Columbia SC, which is more than any other condition we cover. In every drug study you keep the medicines you are already on. Free testing and no insurance needed. Compensation is provided for eligible participants.
10
Enrolling Now
6
Inside Columbia
+/- $100
Per Visit
New here? Read how this page works
First, ten studies is a lot, and they are not interchangeable. So here is the fastest way to work out which ones could take you.
- Are you on dialysis yet? Because that single answer splits this page in half, and some studies need you on it while others rule you out.
- Ask about the APOL1 gene test. Notably, three studies here are open only to people who carry it, and you cannot know without the test.
- Check your potassium. In fact, the largest study rules you out for a reading most people are told is perfectly normal.
- Finally, tap Check eligibility. Then we check you against all of them at once and tell you when a new one opens.
Of course, checking never signs you up for anything. You are only seeing where you might fit.
The 10 Kidney Studies Enrolling Near Columbia
This is our best covered condition anywhere. However, they split three ways, so start with which group you are in.
Slowing the disease down
This one adds a third pill on top of the standard two. Also, everybody on it gets a real approved kidney drug.
Adding a Third Pill on Top of the Standard Two
AstraZeneca / Drug
Everybody takes dapagliflozin, which is already an approved kidney pill. On top of that, half get a new pill called baxdrostat and half get a dummy.
Est. about $100 per visit. Ask the site for the total number of visits.
Check eligibility →More details
Why researchers are excited: baxdrostat blocks a hormone that drives both high blood pressure and kidney scarring, and it dropped blood pressure sharply in people whose pressure would not come down on anything else.
Who this study is looking for
- Adults 18 and older
- Also, kidney function between 30 and 75, with protein in your urine
- Besides that, A history of high blood pressure, with the top number 130 or more
- Finally, already on a steady top dose of an ACE inhibitor or an ARB, but not both
Probably not a fit if: your potassium is even slightly high, or you had dialysis or a sudden kidney injury in the past 3 months, or your blood pressure is above 180 over 110.
- Placebo group: Nobody goes without treatment. Everybody gets the real approved kidney pill. So the coin flip is only about whether the extra pill is real.
- How long: Up to about 3 years each. The study runs to December 2029.
- Clinic visits: About 15 or 16 over 3 years, and the record spells out the early ones. Weeks 2, 4, 8, 16, 34 and 52, then roughly every 4 months after that.
- Phone calls: Not published on the public record.
- Most invasive part: Blood draws and urine samples only. Notably, there is no biopsy, no scan and no drip.
- Setting: Outpatient.
- Where it runs: Research Site, Columbia SC 29203.
- Read this first: this study is strict about potassium at the low end of normal. So a reading of 4.9 can rule you out, which is a number most people are told is fine.
- Full study record: View on ClinicalTrials.gov →
If you carry the APOL1 gene
All three need a gene test first. However, one of them has no dummy at all and runs only 12 weeks.
A Pill for an Inherited Cause
Vertex / Drug
This is only for people who carry two copies of a kidney risk gene called APOL1. Half get the real pill and half get a dummy pill.
Est. about $100 per visit. Ask the site for the total number of visits.
Check eligibility →More details
Why researchers are excited: it is one of the first medicines built to switch off an inherited cause of kidney disease rather than just controlling blood pressure.
Who this study is looking for
- Age 10 to 65
- Also, A gene test confirms you carry the APOL1 high risk pair
- Besides that, protein is leaking into your urine
- Finally, you are not on dialysis and have not had a transplant
Probably not a fit if: you have any history of diabetes, which rules out a large share of people with kidney disease. Also, any transplant or another known cause such as sickle cell rules you out.
- Placebo group: A coin flip decides real pill or dummy pill, and the two look the same. Neither you nor your doctor knows which.
- How long: The first part runs about 2 years, then an extension can run to about 4.
- Clinic visits: The published points are day 1, week 40 and week 48, then on through the extension. So the total is not registered.
- Phone calls: Not published on the public record.
- Most invasive part: Blood draws, including one for the gene test, plus urine samples. Notably, no biopsy is needed.
- Setting: Outpatient.
- Where it runs: Columbia Nephrology Associates, Columbia SC 29203.
- Read this first: you cannot know if you qualify without the gene test, and any history of diabetes shuts the door. So a lot of people screen out here.
- Full study record: View on ClinicalTrials.gov →
Twelve Weeks, and Everybody Gets the Real Drug
Maze Therapeutics / Drug
Another pill aimed at the same APOL1 gene, and the lightest study on this page. There is no dummy at all, so every person takes the real thing and knows it.
Payment is not published. However, 12 weeks is the shortest commitment here.
Check eligibility →More details
Why researchers are excited: it goes after the same inherited cause as the Vertex pill but by a different route, and 12 weeks is short enough to give an answer fast.
Who this study is looking for
- Age 18 to 68
- Also, A gene test confirms you carry the APOL1 high risk pair
- Besides that, kidney disease with albumin still showing in your urine
- Finally, you are not pregnant or nursing
Probably not a fit if: you have had a transplant, or type 1 diabetes, or weight loss surgery, because that last one changes how you absorb pills.
- Placebo group: None at all. Every person gets the real study drug, and everybody knows it.
- How long: 12 weeks of treatment.
- Clinic visits: Only the start and week 12 are published. So the total is not on the record, but the study is short.
- Phone calls: Not published on the public record.
- Most invasive part: Blood draws and urine samples.
- Setting: Outpatient.
- Where it runs: Research Site, Columbia SC 29203.
- Worth knowing: this is the easiest yes on the page, at 12 weeks with no dummy. However, the age limit stops at 68, which is unusually low.
- Full study record: View on ClinicalTrials.gov →
Turning Down the Harmful Protein Itself
AstraZeneca / Drug
A shot under the skin for people with the APOL1 high risk gene pair. Rather than blocking the effects, it turns down how much of the harmful protein your body makes.
Est. about $100 per visit. Ask the site for the total number of visits.
Check eligibility →More details
Why researchers are excited: it is aimed squarely at people of African descent, the group that carries almost all of this risk and has long been left out of research.
Who this study is looking for
- Age 18 to 70, of African descent, broadly defined
- Also, A gene test confirms you carry the APOL1 high risk pair
- Besides that, protein in your urine at 300 or above
- Finally, kidney function of 25 or above
Probably not a fit if: you have type 1 diabetes, or a heart rhythm problem, or you are on dialysis, or you have another kidney disease such as lupus or IgA nephropathy.
- Placebo group: In the first part you are split three ways, so 2 in 3 get real drug. In the second part 4 out of every 5 do.
- How long: At least 30 weeks of treatment, then up to 12 more weeks of checks. An open extension follows.
- Clinic visits: Dosing is weekly in the first part and every other week in the second, across at least 30 weeks. However, whether some shots are given at home is not published, so ask.
- Phone calls: Not published on the public record.
- Most invasive part: Regular shots under the skin, plus heart tracings and blood draws.
- Setting: Outpatient.
- Where it runs: Research Sites, Columbia SC 29203 and Orangeburg SC 29118.
- Drive from Columbia: Orangeburg is about 45 miles southeast, so roughly 50 minutes on US-21.
- Read this first: screening alone wants three first morning urine samples on three days in a row. So there is real work before you even know if you qualify.
- Full study record: View on ClinicalTrials.gov →
Dialysis, and the arm connection it needs
Four of these five are about making dialysis access actually work. Notably, none of them uses a fake operation.
Calming the Inflammation Behind Dialysis Heart Attacks
CSL Behring / Drug
A shot that calms long term inflammation in the body. Half get the real drug and half get a dummy shot, and everybody keeps their normal dialysis.
Est. about $100 per visit. Ask the site for the total number of visits.
Check eligibility →More details
Why researchers are excited: people on dialysis have heart attacks and strokes at very high rates, and inflammation is thought to be a big reason. Notably, nothing has ever been approved to treat that.
Who this study is looking for
- Adults 18 and older
- Also, end stage kidney disease
- Besides that, you are on dialysis right now
- Finally, A blood test shows inflammation
Probably not a fit if: your blood shows no sign of inflammation, because the whole design rests on that marker.
- Placebo group: Half get the real medicine and half get a dummy shot that looks the same. However, your dialysis and all your usual medicines carry on untouched.
- How long: Up to about 5 years.
- Clinic visits: At least 4 named in the first 32 weeks, at the start and weeks 12, 24 and 32. After that the follow up runs for years, and the total is not published.
- Phone calls: Not published on the public record.
- Most invasive part: The study shots plus blood draws. In fact, most blood is taken off the dialysis line you already use.
- Setting: Outpatient.
- Where it runs: Columbia Nephrology, Columbia SC 29203.
- Read this first: this drug quiets part of your immune system, so an infection may not give you the fever you would expect. Report anything early rather than waiting.
- Full study record: View on ClinicalTrials.gov →
A Dissolvable Sleeve Around a New Fistula
VenoStent / Device
When a surgeon builds the arm connection that dialysis will use, half the people also get a soft sleeve wrapped around it that dissolves over time. The other half get the same surgery without it.
Est. about $100 per visit. Ask the site for the total number of visits.
Check eligibility →More details
Why researchers are excited: about half of all new fistulas never work well enough to use, which sends people back to a neck line. So this targets one of the oldest failures in dialysis.
Who this study is looking for
- Adults 18 and older
- Also, you have been referred for a brand new fistula
- Besides that, your target artery and vein both measure at least 2 mm
- Finally, you can come back for checks over 3 years
Probably not a fit if: this is a repair of an existing fistula rather than a new one, or you have a narrowing or a stent already in that vein, or a transplant is expected within 6 months.
- Placebo group: No dummy at all. Everybody has the same real surgery, and the coin flip is only about the sleeve. Also, the people judging the result do not know which group you were in.
- How long: 36 months of follow up.
- Clinic visits: Not published on the public record. However, the main results land at 30 days and 180 days, and you agree to 3 years of checks.
- Phone calls: Not published on the public record.
- Most invasive part: The fistula surgery you were having anyway, plus repeated arm ultrasounds afterwards.
- Setting: Outpatient.
- Where it runs: Vascular Care of South Carolina, Columbia SC 29203 and Dialysis Access Institute, Orangeburg SC 29118.
- Drive from Columbia: Orangeburg is about 45 miles southeast, so roughly 50 minutes on US-21.
- Read this first: the final check on whether you qualify happens in the operating room, because it depends on vessel sizes measured there. So you can consent and still not enrol.
- Full study record: View on ClinicalTrials.gov →
Dialysis Access Through a Needle Instead of a Cut
Venova Medical / Device
Instead of opening the arm, doctors make the dialysis connection through a small puncture using a catheter. Everybody in the study gets the new procedure.
Est. about $100 per visit. Ask the site for the total number of visits.
Check eligibility →More details
Why researchers are excited: if it works, people could get their access built without open surgery, with less recovery and fewer touch ups before it can be used.
Who this study is looking for
- Age 18 to 80
- Also, you need dialysis access now, or you will within 6 months
- Besides that, one arm vein measures between 2 and 5 mm
- Finally, one arm artery measures between 2 and 4 mm
Probably not a fit if: you have had a graft or an upper arm fistula on that side, or a blocked artery, or heavy hardening that blocks the ultrasound view.
- Placebo group: None at all. It is single arm, so everybody knows they are getting the new device.
- How long: Followed up to 5 years, with the first results at 30 days and 6 weeks.
- Clinic visits: About 9 or 10 across 5 years, based on the points the record lists. Those are 30 days, 6 weeks, then 3, 6 and 12 months, then yearly.
- Phone calls: Not published on the public record.
- Most invasive part: A catheter procedure through a needle puncture under sedation, and a small permanent implant is left in place.
- Setting: Outpatient.
- Where it runs: MUSC Health Orangeburg, Dialysis Access Institute, Orangeburg SC 29118.
- Drive from Columbia: Orangeburg is about 45 miles southeast, so roughly 50 minutes on US-21.
- Read this first: the doctor can still rule you out on the table if your anatomy turns out wrong. Also, there is no standard surgery group, so this is a full commitment.
- Full study record: View on ClinicalTrials.gov →
A Graft You Can Use Almost Straight Away
W.L. Gore / Device
A new kind of artificial tube is placed in the arm to join an artery to a vein for dialysis. It is built so nurses can put needles in within about a week.
Est. about $100 per visit. Ask the site for the total number of visits.
Check eligibility →More details
Why researchers are excited: a standard graft usually needs weeks to heal first, which means living with a neck line and the infection risk that comes with it.
Who this study is looking for
- End stage kidney disease where a graft is the next best option
- Also, age 18 to 90
- Besides that, arm anatomy that suits the graft, because it cannot cross the elbow
- Finally, you can take a blood thinning tablet such as aspirin afterwards
Probably not a fit if: you have severe heart disease, or poor circulation in that arm, or a narrowed central vein on that side, or your blood pressure drops often during dialysis.
- Placebo group: None at all. It is single arm, so everybody receives the real device and knows it.
- How long: 2 years of follow up.
- Clinic visits: About 8 across 2 years. The implant, then day 7, then 3, 6, 12, 18 and 24 months, plus screening.
- Phone calls: Not published on the public record.
- Most invasive part: Surgery to place the graft, then needles into it at every dialysis session after that.
- Setting: Outpatient.
- Where it runs: Medical University of South Carolina, Orangeburg SC 29118.
- Drive from Columbia: Orangeburg is about 45 miles southeast, so roughly 50 minutes on US-21.
- Worth knowing: there is a second gate that only opens in the operating room, because the surgeon has to see both vessels and judge them good enough.
- Full study record: View on ClinicalTrials.gov →
Catching a Failing Fistula Early
Sonavex / Device
A tiny marker is placed beside your new fistula during surgery. Then a simple automatic ultrasound checks every two weeks whether it is growing properly.
Est. about $100 per visit. Ask the site for the total number of visits.
Check eligibility →More details
Why researchers are excited: right now nobody knows a fistula has failed until months have gone by and the person is still stuck on a neck line.
Who this study is looking for
- Age 18 to 84
- Also, late stage kidney disease or end stage disease, having an upper arm fistula made
- Besides that, your vein and artery both measure at least 2.5 mm
- Finally, you can walk in for visits, and a cane or walker is fine
Probably not a fit if: you have had three failed fistulas already, or you are on immune suppressing drugs, or you have an existing fistula or graft.
- Placebo group: No dummy treatment. Everybody has the same real surgery, and the coin flip decides whether you also get the marker and the extra scans.
- How long: 12 months.
- Clinic visits: Roughly 10 to 12 if you land in the monitored group. That is about 8 scans in the first 4 months, then checks at 6 and 12 months.
- Phone calls: Not published on the public record.
- Most invasive part: The marker goes in during surgery you were already having. After that it is all external ultrasound.
- Setting: Outpatient.
- Where it runs: MUSC Health Orangeburg, Orangeburg SC 29118.
- Drive from Columbia: Orangeburg is about 45 miles southeast, so roughly 50 minutes on US-21.
- Be clear on this one: the monitored group has about twice the visits, and it is the group most people would want. So a coin flip may put you in usual care instead.
- Full study record: View on ClinicalTrials.gov →
Not sure which one fits you?
First, answer a few quick health questions. Then we check you against all 10 studies. No account, no paperwork.
See if I may fit one of these studies →What Is Actually Changing in Kidney Disease
Three real shifts, and one of them is genetic.
Why It Is Usually Found Late
The kidneys clean waste and extra fluid out of your blood. When they slow down, it happens over years and it causes almost no symptoms at first. So most people find out from a blood test called eGFR and a urine test for protein. Also, the two biggest causes by far are diabetes and high blood pressure.
The Standard Treatment Grew Recently
For decades there were only blood pressure pills, the ones called ACE inhibitors and ARBs. Then two things changed. A class of drug first built for diabetes was shown to slow kidney decline, and a newer pill called finerenone did the same. So both are now standard care, which is a real gain in a field that had gone quiet.
The Current Wave Adds a Third Drug
Almost every big study here asks the same question. If you are already on the standard two, does adding a third slow the damage further? The new drugs block aldosterone, a hormone that raises blood pressure and scars the kidney. As Jamie Dwyer of University of Utah Health put it, the drop in urine protein gives hope the drug may delay kidney damage.
Why Blood Pressure Keeps Coming Up
The two problems feed each other, and that is the whole point. Dwyer described them as two conditions that often go hand in hand and create a dangerous cycle. High pressure damages the kidney, and a damaged kidney raises the pressure. So a drug that breaks that loop could matter more than its blood pressure numbers suggest.
A Genuinely New Line: the APOL1 Gene
This is the part that is actually new. A gene called APOL1 comes in variants that sharply raise the risk of kidney failure, and they are common in people of recent West African ancestry. So several drugs now aim at that inherited cause directly, and three of them are being tested in the Carolinas.
The Other Half of the Field Is Plumbing
Dialysis needs a strong connection between an artery and a vein in your arm. However, about half of new ones never work well enough to use, which leaves people on a neck line. So a whole set of studies here is about that problem instead of about drugs. In fact, four of the studies on this page are device studies aimed at making access work.
Research Sites Near Columbia
Columbia Nephrology, Prisma Health and MUSC Orangeburg run these between them. But sites add new studies all the time, so it is worth knowing what sits near you.
Prisma Health Richland Hospital
Downtown Columbia / 37+ active studies
Cancer, blood disorders, broad hospital research
The flagship Prisma Health hospital in the Midlands. Also, by far the biggest trial operation in the Columbia metro.
Visit Website →
University of South Carolina
Columbia / 27+ active studies
Stroke recovery, physical activity, community health
Notably, a research university that runs federally funded health studies across the Midlands. Specifically, topics range from stroke rehab to disease prevention.
Visit Website →
Bogan Sleep Consultants
Columbia / 7+ active studies
Narcolepsy, sleep disorders
One of the best known private sleep research sites in the Southeast. Also, it has run sleep trials for decades.
Prisma Health Midlands Cardiovascular
Columbia / 4+ active studies
Cardiovascular disease, heart failure
The heart and vessel research arm of Prisma Health in the Midlands. So it is the natural home for cholesterol trials in Columbia.
Visit Website →
Prisma Health Children’s Hospital, Midlands
Columbia / 4+ active studies
Pediatric growth, cystic fibrosis
Basically, the Midlands hub for children’s research inside the Prisma Health system.
Visit Website →
Columbia Dermatology & Aesthetics
Columbia / 4+ active studies
Hidradenitis suppurativa, psoriasis, obesity
A skin care practice with its own research team. It runs both skin and weight studies.
Velocity Clinical Research, Columbia
Columbia / Multiple active studies
COPD, skin conditions, vaccines
Part of one of the biggest research site networks in the country. Besides, it is just the kind of site the huge outcome trials lean on.
Visit Website →
Wm. Jennings Bryan Dorn VA Medical Center
Garners Ferry Road, Columbia / 2+ active studies
Atherosclerosis, liver disease
Columbia’s VA medical center runs studies, including ones on clogged arteries. For veterans, it is often the first door.
Visit Website →
Objective Health, Columbia
Columbia / 2+ active studies
Celiac disease, fatty liver disease
Once called Columbia Digestive Health Research. Now it is part of the Objective Health network. Specifically, it runs gut and liver studies, including fatty liver trials.
Columbia Gastroenterology Associates
Columbia / Active studies
Digestive conditions
A long-running gut health practice. Also, it takes part in digestive trials around Columbia.
What to Expect in a Kidney Study
New to studies? Here is how one works, step by step.
01
Prescreening
First comes a short phone call or online form. Also, it takes about 10 to 15 minutes. The staff check whether you might fit. Then they tell you what is open.
02
Screening Visit
Next the clinic runs the tests that decide it, which usually means blood work. Also, they go through the consent form line by line, and you can bring somebody with you.
03
Treatment Period
Then the study begins. So you take the study drug or the placebo on the agreed schedule. Meanwhile, your own doctor keeps managing everything else.
04
Follow-Up
Finally, there is a check in period at the end. Also, your own doctor gets the results, and you can stop at any point without affecting your care.
Kidney Disease Trial FAQs
Real answers about chronic kidney disease studies near Columbia SC.
Is there a kidney disease study near Columbia?
Yes, ten, and that makes this the best covered condition on our whole site. Six run inside Columbia itself, and the other four are at Orangeburg, about 50 minutes southeast. Also, they split three ways, into drug studies, gene targeted studies, and studies about dialysis access. So which ones can take you depends mostly on your stage.
Do I have to be on dialysis?
It depends entirely on the study, and this is the first thing to sort out. One study takes only people already on dialysis. Several device studies are for people getting access built, which often happens before dialysis starts. Meanwhile, the big drug studies rule out anyone on dialysis, so earlier stage disease is what they want.
What is the APOL1 gene?
It is a gene that comes in variants which sharply raise the risk of kidney failure. Those variants are common in people of recent West African ancestry, which is part of why kidney failure hits Black Americans so much harder. So three studies here are open only to people who carry two copies. In short, a simple gene test decides whether that door is open to you.
Will I be taken off my current medicines?
No, and that matters. In every drug study here you keep taking the approved kidney medicines you are already on. The new drug is added on top, and the coin flip only decides whether that addition is real. So nobody on this page is asked to go without treatment.
Why do so many of these involve my arm?
Because dialysis needs a strong connection between an artery and a vein, usually in the arm. About half of new ones never work well enough to use, which leaves people stuck on a neck line. So four studies here are about fixing that, using a dissolvable sleeve, a needle based procedure, a new graft, or better monitoring. Also, none of them uses a fake operation.
Is there a placebo?
In the drug studies, yes, but not the way people fear. Everybody gets the real approved kidney medicine, and only the extra new drug is randomised. One APOL1 study has no dummy at all, because every person gets the real thing. Meanwhile, in the device studies everybody has the same real operation.
What is this about potassium?
The largest study is unusually strict about it, and this catches people out. A potassium of 4.9 can rule you out, and that is a number most people are told is fine. The reason is that the drug class being tested raises potassium, so they screen for headroom. So ask your doctor for your most recent potassium before you call.
Do I need insurance?
No. None of these require insurance. The study medicine, the procedures and the study visits are provided at no cost. Also, you keep your own kidney doctor throughout, and results go back to them. You would always call the clinic yourself.
How long do these last?
They range enormously, so read that line on each card. The shortest is 12 weeks with no dummy at all. The longest run for 3, 4 and even 5 years. Also, the device studies ask for 2 or 3 years of follow up checks. So match the commitment to what you can actually do.
Where can I get kidney care near Columbia SC?
Columbia Nephrology Associates, Prisma Health and Lexington Medical Center all run kidney clinics across the Midlands. Also, ask for your eGFR and your urine protein result by name, because those two numbers are the whole picture. Your primary care doctor can refer you to a kidney specialist. Meanwhile, if you have diabetes or high blood pressure, ask for those tests yearly rather than waiting.
Ready to Explore a Study?
Check your eligibility, or just reach out to our Columbia team. No pressure. Also, no sales pitch.
← Back to All Clinical TrialsSources
- Baxdrostat plus dapagliflozin in chronic kidney disease, ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06742723
- Vicadrostat plus empagliflozin in chronic kidney disease, ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06531824
- Clazakizumab in patients on dialysis, ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05485961
- AMPLITUDE inaxaplin in APOL1 mediated kidney disease, ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05312879
- MZE829 in APOL1 proteinuric kidney disease, ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06830629
- APPRECIATE AZD2373 in APOL1 mediated kidney disease, ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06824987
- SAVE-FistulaS SelfWrap study, ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06001827
- VENOS-3 Velocity percutaneous fistula study, ClinicalTrials.gov NCT07153939
- InnAVasc arteriovenous graft study, ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04671771
- MAFASA EchoMark fistula monitoring study, ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06190717
- Healio: baxdrostat lowers blood pressure in people with kidney disease, with comment from Jamie P. Dwyer, MD, University of Utah Health
Study details and per-site recruiting status verified against ClinicalTrials.gov on August 15, 2026. A site at Orangeburg for one study is registered but not yet open, so it is not counted here. Study availability and criteria change; the research clinic confirms everything before you enroll.