COLUMBIA, SC
Celiac Disease Clinical Trials
1 study is enrolling for celiac disease near Columbia SC right now. Notably, it is the only one in either city, and everyone in it swallows gluten on purpose. You may be compensated for your time, and no insurance is needed.
1
Open in Columbia
0
Approved Treatments
+/- $100
Per Visit
New here? Read how this page works
First, one mistake closes the door on a diagnosis, and most people make it before anyone warns them. So here is the order to work through.
- Do not cut gluten out before you are tested. Because the blood test only finds antibodies while you are still eating it, and going gluten free first can turn a real result negative.
- Ask for tTG-IgA with a total IgA. Notably, some people make very little IgA of any kind, and in them the main test reads negative even with active disease.
- Ask whether your gut damage is still there. In fact, the study here requires ongoing damage, so people who healed well on the diet do not qualify.
- Finally, tap the button. Then we check you against every study we track 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 Study Enrolling Near Columbia Right Now
It is open today, and it runs inside the city. So check your eligibility, or read the full record on ClinicalTrials.gov.
The one study open here
It is the only study for this condition in either metro. However, everyone in it swallows gluten on purpose, including the dummy group.
Blocking the Trigger Instead of Breaking Down Gluten
Chugai Pharmaceutical / Mid stage study
Most drugs tried here chop gluten up before it reaches the gut. This one lets gluten through and blocks the trigger instead. It sits on the exact spot where gluten fragments set off the immune attack. It is for people still damaged and still unwell despite a strict gluten free diet. Notably, how the drug is given is not published on the public record.
Payment is not published.
Check eligibility →More details
Why researchers are excited: a strict diet still leaves a real share of people damaged and unwell. Meanwhile, nothing at all is approved for this condition, anywhere.
Who this study is looking for
- Age 18 to 75, with the diagnosis written in your records
- Also, on a gluten free diet for at least 12 months
- Besides that, A blood test showing you carry the DQ2.5 gene type
- Finally, gut damage still there on a sample, so people who healed well do not qualify
- Also, two or more symptom episodes in the month before screening
Probably not a fit if: carrying the DQ8 gene type rules you out. Also, refractory disease, or any other active gut condition such as reflux or irritable bowel. Notably, a wheat allergy of the immediate kind excludes you too.
- Placebo group: Yes. There are two groups, and the split is not published.
- How long: About 47 weeks, plus screening and a run in. So expect roughly eleven to twelve months.
- Clinic visits: Not published on the public record.
- Phone calls: Not published on the public record.
- Most invasive part: You would be given gluten on purpose, in both groups. So people on the dummy get gluten and no drug. The dose is not published. Also, at least two camera tests, and a daily diary for about eleven months.
- Setting: Outpatient.
- Where it runs: Columbia Digestive Health Research, Columbia SC 29204.
- Drive from Columbia: This one is inside Columbia itself, north east of downtown.
- Only 92 people across 74 sites worldwide. So call rather than wait.
- 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 every study we track. Also, no account and no paperwork.
See if I may fit one of these studies →What Is Actually Changing in Celiac Disease
Nothing is approved anywhere, and the nearest study to Charlotte is in Columbia rather than Raleigh.
It Is Not an Allergy and Not an Intolerance
In celiac disease the immune system attacks the lining of your own small bowel when gluten is present. So it damages the surface that absorbs your food. Meanwhile, a wheat allergy is a different, faster reaction, and gluten sensitivity causes symptoms without that damage. In fact, the three need different tests and different studies.
Get Tested Before You Cut Gluten Out
This is the single most common and most costly mistake. The blood test looks for antibodies that only appear while you are still eating gluten. So going gluten free first can turn a real result negative. Notably, that leaves people with symptoms, no diagnosis, and a difficult path back.
Ask for tTG-IgA With a Total IgA
The main blood test is tTG-IgA. However, some people make very little IgA of any kind, and in them the test reads negative even with active disease. So the total IgA is what catches that. Also, ask for both by name, because the second is sometimes left off.
The Diagnosis Usually Needs a Camera Test
For adults, a positive blood test is usually confirmed with samples from the small bowel. A pathologist looks at whether the tiny finger like projections have flattened. So that flattening is the damage the disease actually causes. Meanwhile, you must still be eating gluten for that test to show anything.
Your Genes Can Rule It Out, But Not Rule It In
Almost everybody with this condition carries one of two gene types, DQ2 or DQ8. So if you carry neither, celiac disease is essentially off the table. However, plenty of people carry them and never develop it, so a positive result proves nothing on its own. Notably, the study on this page requires the DQ2.5 type specifically and excludes DQ8.
A Strict Diet Is Not Enough for Everyone
Most people improve on a gluten free diet, and that remains the only treatment there is. However, a real share stay damaged and stay unwell despite genuine strictness. So they are the group these studies are built around. In fact, the study here requires ongoing damage, which means people who healed well cannot join.
Cross Contamination Does the Quiet Damage
Shared toasters, shared fryers, the same board used for bread, and sauces thickened with flour. So the diet fails in kitchens rather than in supermarkets. Also, oats are a common trap, because they are often milled alongside wheat. Generally, a dietitian is more useful here than another blood test.
This Study Gives You Gluten on Purpose
That is unusual, and it needs saying plainly. Everyone in the study swallows gluten capsules, including people who are given the dummy. The point is to see whether the drug protects you when gluten does arrive. However, the dose is not published anywhere, so ask the clinic for it before you agree to anything.
Nothing Is Approved, Anywhere
There is no licensed drug for celiac disease in any country. Several approaches have failed, including drugs that chop gluten up before it reaches the gut. Meanwhile, this one takes the opposite approach and blocks the trigger instead. So it is a genuinely different idea rather than another version of the same one.
Celiac Disease Help Near You
If you have not been tested yet, do not cut gluten out first. Ask for tTG-IgA with a total IgA, and ask whether samples were taken from more than one spot. Also, ask for a dietitian who knows where cross contamination actually happens. Meanwhile, join the list and we will call you when a study opens near you.
Research Sites Near Columbia
One research site inside the city carries this study. But sites add new studies all the time, so it is worth knowing what is 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 Celiac 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.
Celiac Disease Trial FAQs
Real answers about celiac disease studies near Columbia SC.
Is there a study for this near Columbia?
Yes, one is open, and it runs inside the city. It is for people still damaged and still unwell despite a strict gluten free diet for at least a year. Notably, everyone in it swallows gluten capsules on purpose, including the group given the dummy, and the dose is not published. However, it is the only celiac study in either metro, and only 92 people are being taken worldwide.
Should I stop eating gluten before I get tested?
No, and this is the most common and most costly mistake here. The blood test looks for antibodies that only appear while you are still eating gluten. So cutting it out first can turn a real result negative. Notably, that leaves people with symptoms, no diagnosis, and a difficult path back.
Which blood test should I ask for?
Ask for tTG-IgA, and ask for a total IgA alongside it. The first is the main test. However, some people make very little IgA of any kind, and in them the main test reads negative even with active disease. So the second one is what catches that, and it is sometimes left off.
Will I get a dummy in this study?
Yes, that is possible, and the split is not published. There are two groups, one getting the drug and one getting a dummy. However, there is something more important here. Everyone swallows gluten capsules on purpose, including the dummy group, so people on the dummy get gluten with no active drug.
How much gluten would I have to eat?
That is not published anywhere, and it is the first thing to ask the clinic. The study gives measured gluten capsules to both groups to see whether the drug protects you. So the dose, how often, and the total across the study all matter a great deal. Notably, we would rather tell you plainly that this is unknown than let you find out later.
Why would healing well rule me out?
Because the study needs to see whether the drug protects tissue that is still being damaged. So it requires ongoing damage on a sample, measured as a ratio. Meanwhile, people whose gut healed properly on the diet do not qualify. That is frustrating, but it is how the question gets answered.
Is there any approved treatment?
No, not in any country, and that is the honest answer. A strict gluten free diet is the only treatment there is. However, several drug approaches have been tried, including ones that chop gluten up before it reaches the gut. So this study takes the opposite approach and blocks the trigger instead.
Does it cost anything to check?
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, checking never enrolls anyone in anything. You would always call the clinic yourself.
Where can I get help near Columbia SC?
Prisma Health and Lexington Medical Center both run digestive services across the Midlands. Also, ask for a gastroenterologist and for a dietitian who knows where cross contamination happens. Generally, your own doctor can order the antibody tests. Meanwhile, if you have not been tested yet, do not cut gluten out first.
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
Study details and per-site recruiting status verified against ClinicalTrials.gov on August 16, 2026. A search filtered to South Carolina returned nothing for this condition, twice, while the study listed here was actively recruiting in Columbia; it was found only by searching the city directly. Everyone in that study swallows gluten capsules on purpose, including the group receiving the dummy, and the dose is not published on the public record. Study availability and criteria change; the research clinic confirms everything before you enroll.