CHARLOTTE, NC
High Potassium Clinical Trials
No high potassium study is enrolling in Charlotte right now, and none anywhere takes adults near here. The two nearest are for children, and neither uses a dummy at all. Compensation is provided for eligible participants once one opens here.
0
In Charlotte
2
For Children Nearby
+/- $100
Per Visit
New here? Read how this page works
First, the honest picture. Nothing is open in Charlotte, and no adult study is open anywhere near here. So here is how to use this page anyway.
- Start with age. Because both studies here take children only, and no adult study is open in either metro.
- Check the dialysis question. Notably, hemodialysis rules a child out, but peritoneal dialysis does not.
- Ask your own doctor about a binder. In fact, that is the question this whole field is built around, and you do not need a trial to ask it.
- Finally, put your name in. Then we call you the day an adult study opens near you.
Of course, checking never signs you up for anything. You are only seeing where you might fit.
High Potassium Studies Within Reach of Charlotte
Both take children only. However, both give every child the real medicine, because neither uses a dummy.
The nearest one, and it is for children
Both of these are for children rather than adults. Also, neither uses a dummy, so every child enrolled gets the real medicine.
A Powder for Children, and No Dummy at All
AstraZeneca / Drug
A powder mixed with water that soaks up extra potassium in the gut, so it leaves the body in stool. Doses are scaled to body weight, and every child gets the real medicine.
Payment is not published. However, there is no dummy, so every child is treated.
Get on the list →More details
Why researchers are excited: this medicine works well in adults but has almost never been studied in children. So doctors have been left guessing at doses.
Who this study is looking for
- Under 18 years old
- Also, potassium above the normal range for their age, confirmed on two tests in a row
- Besides that, they need ongoing treatment for high potassium
- Finally, A parent or guardian can bring them to every visit and give the medicine
Probably not a fit if: the child is on hemodialysis, which rules them out. However, a steady peritoneal dialysis routine of at least 2 months is allowed.
- Placebo group: None at all. This is fully open, so every child gets the real medicine and everybody knows it.
- How long: About 28 weeks in total.
- Clinic visits: Roughly 14 to 16 across those 28 weeks. That is screening, up to 3 correction days, about 4 or 5 visits in the first month, then monthly, then one safety check.
- Phone calls: Not published on the public record.
- Most invasive part: Repeated blood draws and heart tracings, which in a young child is the main burden.
- Setting: Outpatient.
- Where it runs: Research Site, Columbia SC 29203.
- Drive from Charlotte: Columbia SC is about 93 miles south, so roughly 1 hour 30 minutes on I-77.
- Read this first: a heart tracing outside the range for the child’s age at screening rules them out, and no parent can predict that in advance.
- Full study record: View on ClinicalTrials.gov →
The Other Binder, and It Goes Younger
Vifor Pharma / Drug
The companion study to the one above, using the other potassium binder. It takes children from birth to 11, including those fed through a tube.
Payment is not published. Notably, kidney disease is not a barrier here.
Get on the list →More details
Why researchers are excited: it is the only study reaching the youngest children, where there is almost no evidence at all.
Who this study is looking for
- Birth to 11 years old
- Also, high potassium needing treatment
- Besides that, children fed through a tube can take part
- Finally, A parent or guardian can travel to Durham
Probably not a fit if: the child is on maintenance hemodialysis. However, peritoneal dialysis is allowed, and chronic kidney disease is explicitly not a barrier.
- Placebo group: None at all. Every child gets the real medicine and everybody knows it.
- How long: The first part runs 28 days, then a second part can extend to 52 weeks.
- Clinic visits: The published points in the first part are days 3, 7, 14 and 28. After that the schedule for the longer part is not registered.
- Phone calls: Not published on the public record.
- Most invasive part: Repeated blood draws in a young child.
- Setting: Outpatient.
- Where it runs: Duke University Hospital, Durham NC 27710.
- Drive from Charlotte: Durham is about 145 miles northeast, so roughly 2 hours 15 minutes on I-85.
- Worth knowing: this is the only study on this page that takes babies and toddlers. So for a very young child it may be the only door open anywhere near here.
- Full study record: View on ClinicalTrials.gov →
Not sure which one fits you?
First, answer a few quick health questions. Then we keep them on file. Finally, we call you when a potassium study opens near Charlotte. No account, no paperwork.
See if I may fit one of these studies →What Is Actually Happening With High Potassium
A trap built into the best kidney medicines.
Why It Matters at All
Potassium is a mineral your body needs, and your kidneys keep it in a safe range. When kidneys are damaged it can build up in the blood, which is called hyperkalemia. However, it usually causes no symptoms at all until it starts to disturb the heart’s rhythm. So it is found on a blood test rather than by how you feel.
The Trap Nobody Explains
Here is the cruel part. The very medicines that best protect failing kidneys and hearts all push potassium up. So doctors are often forced to cut the dose or stop them, which then lets the kidney disease move faster. As one expert panel writing in Heart Failure Reviews put it, stopping those drugs may be necessary, although it risks the disease getting worse.
What Changed
Two newer powders pull potassium out through the gut, and both are far easier to take than the old resin. The same panel wrote that these offer real advantages over the older treatments, and are better tolerated options for patients. So the hope is that people can stay on their kidney protecting drugs instead of giving them up.
The Open Question
Researchers are now asking whether that strategy really does keep people on treatment for longer. Meanwhile, a second and quite separate gap is children. Writing in Pediatric Nephrology, Lucas Maciel de Almeida Correa and colleagues found the direct evidence in children remains very small, limited to three reports. So they concluded that any off label use should stay individual and closely watched.
Why the Studies Here Are for Children
That gap in the evidence is exactly why both studies on this page enrol children rather than adults. The adult medicines are already approved and widely used. So the open question is dosing and safety in young bodies. In fact, one of the two goes all the way down to newborns, including children fed through a tube.
What Adults Should Do Instead
If your potassium is high, the useful move is not a trial, because there is no adult study here. Instead, ask your doctor whether a binder would let you stay on your kidney protecting medicine at full dose. That is the exact question this whole field is built around. Also, put your name on our list, because adult studies do open and we will call you.
Research Sites Near Charlotte
None of them runs a potassium study today. But sites add new studies all the time, so it is worth knowing what sits near you.
Atrium Health
Multiple Charlotte locations / 161+ active studies
Crohn’s, Heart Failure, COPD, Dementia, Type 2 Diabetes, Hypertension
Charlotte’s biggest health system. It is tied to Wake Forest University School of Medicine. Also, it runs far more trials than anyone else nearby.
Visit Website →
American Health Research Network
Ballantyne, NC 28277 / 25 to 30+ active studies
Asthma, COPD, Chronic Cough, Type 2 Diabetes
Led by Dr. Selwyn Spangenthal. It is the biggest private lung research group in Charlotte. Specifically, it has 4 offices: Charlotte, Rock Hill, Lake Norman, and Charleston.
Visit Website →
Monroe Biomedical Research
Monroe, NC / 17+ active studies
Asthma, COPD, Hypertension, Obesity, Ulcerative Colitis
Notably, one of the 5 busiest research sites in the country. Its 6,300 sq ft space can host overnight stays. It is also an SCRS Global Impact Partner.
Visit Website →
Clinical Research of Gastonia
Gastonia, NC / 11+ active studies
Asthma, COPD, Chronic Cough, Idiopathic Hypersomnia
Led by Dr. Anup Banerjee. Its 3,500 sq ft space sits next to CaroMont Regional Medical Center. Also, it has been running for over 10 years.
Visit Website →
OnSite Clinical Solutions
Ballantyne, NC 28277 / 10+ active studies
Ulcerative Colitis, Crohn’s, COPD, Heart Failure, Atopic Dermatitis
It works with Charlotte doctors in heart, gut, skin, nerve, and joint care. Besides, it runs studies from Phase I through Phase IV.
Visit Website →
Flourish Research
Matthews, NC 28105 / 4+ active studies
Alzheimer’s Disease, Early Alzheimer’s, Alzheimer’s-Related Psychosis
Led by Dr. M. Reza Bolouri. He has 20+ years in Alzheimer’s research. The site is an Alzheimer’s Center of Excellence. In fact, its network has finished 5,500+ trials.
Visit Website →
New Hope Clinical Research
SouthPark, NC 28211 / 4+ active studies
Major Depression, Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder
Led by Dr. Kurian Abraham. It runs Phase I through IV studies and has 30 beds for overnight stays. Its last FDA audit came back clean. Also, it has finished 200+ brain studies.
Visit Website →
Queen City Clinical Research
SouthPark, NC 28211 / 2+ active studies
Chronic Pain, Chronic Migraine, Osteoarthritis
Led by Dr. Leonardo Kapural, a former Cleveland Clinic professor. Notably, he has written 200+ journal articles. On top of that, many call this the biggest pain research site in the country.
Visit Website →
Novant Health
Multiple Charlotte locations / Several active studies
Cardiovascular Disease, Obesity, Hypertension
One of the biggest health systems in the Carolinas. Its Heart and Vascular Institute runs heart studies and sees a lot of patients.
Visit Website →
DLVSC
4 Charlotte-area offices / 1+ active studies
Eczema, Psoriasis, Rosacea
Led by Dr. Gilly Munavalli. This award-winning skin practice owns 50+ FDA-approved lasers and devices. Also, it has its own research team.
Visit Website →
DelRicht Research
South Charlotte, NC 28210 / 1+ active studies
Bipolar Disorder, Bipolar Depression
Part of a national network of mental health research sites. Currently, it runs the azetukalner bipolar depression trial in Charlotte. Previously, it ran other mental health studies.
Visit Website →
TMS of the Carolinas
South Charlotte, NC 28210 / 1+ active studies
Major Depression, Treatment-Resistant Depression
A specialty site for brain stimulation care. It runs the fast TMS study that packs 6 weeks into 2.
Visit Website →What to Expect in a Potassium 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.
High Potassium Trial FAQs
Real answers about hyperkalemia studies near Charlotte NC.
Is there a high potassium study near Charlotte?
No, and there is no adult study open anywhere near here. The one study that once listed a Charlotte site has withdrawn it, so that location never opened. The nearest open door is in Columbia, about 90 minutes south, and it takes children only. So for most readers here this page is a waiting list plus one useful question.
Why are both studies for children?
Because the adult medicines are already approved and widely used, so that question is settled. The gap is in children, where almost no formal evidence exists. Writing in Pediatric Nephrology, Lucas Maciel de Almeida Correa and colleagues found the direct evidence in children remains very small, limited to three reports. So these two studies exist to fill exactly that hole.
What should an adult do instead?
Ask your own doctor a specific question. Ask whether a potassium binder would let you stay on your kidney protecting medicine at full dose. That is the exact issue this entire field is built around, and you do not need a trial to raise it. Meanwhile, put your name on our list and we will call you if an adult study opens.
Why does my doctor keep lowering my kidney medicine?
Because the medicines that protect kidneys and hearts best all push potassium up. As an expert panel writing in Heart Failure Reviews put it, stopping those drugs may be necessary, although it risks the disease getting worse. So it is a genuine trade off rather than a mistake, and a binder is what might break it.
What is a potassium binder?
It is a powder you mix with water that soaks up extra potassium in your gut, so it leaves in your stool. Two newer ones are far better tolerated than the old resin most people remember. The same expert panel wrote that they offer real advantages and are better tolerated options. So they are worth asking about by name.
Can my child join if they are on dialysis?
It depends which kind, and this catches families out. A child on hemodialysis is excluded from both studies. However, a child on a steady peritoneal dialysis routine can take part in the Columbia study. So check which type your child is on before you call.
Is there a placebo?
No, and that is unusual and worth saying. Neither study uses a dummy at all. Every child enrolled receives the real medicine and everybody knows it. Also, doses are scaled to body weight rather than given as a flat amount. So no child is left untreated in either study.
Does it cost anything to be on the list?
No. There is no cost, and no insurance is needed. Tether is a nonprofit list, so we do not run studies and we are not paid to send you anywhere. Also, being on the list never enrolls anyone in anything. You would always call the clinic yourself.
How high is too high?
That is a question for your own doctor, because the answer depends on your kidney function and your other medicines. What we can say is that it is tracked on a simple blood test, and that the number matters even with no symptoms. Also, a sudden rise is treated differently from a steady one. So ask what your last reading was and what your doctor wants it to be.
Where can I get care for high potassium near Charlotte NC?
Atrium Health and Novant Health both run kidney and heart clinics across the metro. Also, ask your own doctor whether a potassium binder would let you stay on your kidney medicine at full dose. That single question is worth more than anything else on this page. Meanwhile, a sudden rise in potassium is urgent, so do not wait on it.
Ready to Explore a Study?
Get on the list, or just reach out to our Charlotte team. No pressure. Also, no sales pitch.
← Back to All Clinical TrialsSources
- PEDZ-K sodium zirconium cyclosilicate in children, ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03813407
- EMERALD2 patiromer in children under 12, ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05766839
- Heart Failure Reviews: multidisciplinary expert consensus on hyperkalemia management
- Pediatric Nephrology: review of sodium zirconium cyclosilicate evidence in children
Study details and per-site recruiting status verified against ClinicalTrials.gov on August 15, 2026. On that date the Charlotte NC site of the paediatric study was listed as withdrawn, and no adult study was recruiting in either metro. Study availability and criteria change; the research clinic confirms everything before you enroll.