Sponsor or institution
Clinical trials and research at University of California Santa Cruz
As of November 12, 2026, Find a Trial lists 2 clinical trials run by University of California Santa Cruz that are recruiting, in United States. There are also 156 NIH-funded research projects at this institution, with $88.3 million in listed awards. Every study is explained in plain English. Data from ClinicalTrials.gov and NIH RePORTER, updated November 12, 2026.
- 2Clinical trials
- 156NIH research projects
- 1Country
All recruiting trials (2)
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Investigating how babies' brains respond to familiar and unfamiliar racial backgrounds
This study looks at how babies aged 7 to 12 months react in their brains to people from different racial backgrounds to see if their experiences with diversity affect their responses.
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Observing how toddlers react to strangers
This study looks at how toddlers aged 13 to 24 months react to strangers of different races to see if their surroundings affect their feelings about unfamiliar people.
NIH-funded research (newest 40 of 156)
Early-stage science funded by the US National Institutes of Health. Most of these projects don't enroll patients, but they show what is being worked on.
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Unlocking the full power of long-read DNA sequencing
A science team is improving long-read sequencing tools so researchers can get complete gene and transcript information from human and mouse tissues with easier, high-accuracy methods.
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Protein–RNA interactions in cancer
A study to understand how a protein called IGF2BP3 affects RNA and metabolism in cancers, including high-risk acute leukemia.
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Mess-free detection: a robust, antibody-free platform for multiplexed protein tests
This grant explores a new, highly stable designer protein and luciferase system to detect proteins at the point of care without antibodies, using multiple signals for better diagnostics.
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Understanding how jellyfish eyes develop and regrow to learn about regeneration
Scientists are studying jellyfish to map how their eyes form and repair themselves, hoping to uncover clues that could someday help human medicine.
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Understanding how variant histones influence cancer-related chromatin behavior
This NIH grant will map how histone variants interact with other proteins to influence chromatin and cancer-related processes.
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New ways to compare thousands of human and vertebrate genomes
Aims to build scalable genome comparison tools and new formats to analyze genomes from thousands of species, with a focus on human and neurodevelopmental regions relevant to autism.
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Dockstore: A smarter platform to share and reproduce computational biology tools
A in-depth platform update to help scientists share, find, and reuse computational tools for genomics and biomedicine, making methods more reproducible for patients and researchers.
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Human Genome Reference Diversity Center
A major project to build a more diverse human genome reference by sequencing high-quality genomes from a wider set of people and sharing the data openly.
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Understanding how lung fibroblasts drive inflammation after flu infection
Researchers aim to understand why some people have long-lasting lung problems after influenza and look for ways to help recovery.
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Designing biological light from scratch for advanced bioimaging and biosensing
A new approach combines design, chemistry, and AI to create brighter, safer bioluminescent probes that could improve real-time imaging inside living bodies.
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Bifunctional small molecules for biosensing and continuous enzyme evolution
A drug-free lab approach aims to speed up enzyme discovery by linking tiny molecule sensors to gene signals in bacteria so researchers can find better enzymes more quickly.
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BRCA Variants Knowledgebase for Cancer Genetics
A public online resource that collects and clarifies BRCA1/BRCA2 genetic variants to help doctors and patients understand cancer risk.
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Bayesian Methods to Understand Microbial Communities from Sequencing Data
A new Bayesian statistical approach to analyze microbiome sequencing data to better understand how microbial communities change with the environment and over time.
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Molecular links between cell division and differentiation in embryonic stem cells
A research project at UC Santa Cruz explores how embryonic stem cells connect their division cycles with turning into different cell types, aiming to uncover how growth and development are coordinated.
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Understanding how messenger RNA binding proteins control gene messages in human cells
Scientists are studying how messenger RNA binding proteins steer which gene messages get made into proteins, and how alternative splicing affects this process in human cells.
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Maps that talk and feel: tactile and audio maps to help visually impaired people navigate
A project to create tactile and vibration/voice-assisted maps that help blind and visually impaired people understand surroundings and navigate new places.
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How bacteria switch from swimming to forming biofilms and spreading cholera
A scientist at UC Santa Cruz is studying how the cholera bacteria use a small signaling molecule to switch between moving and sticking together, which helps the bacteria infect people.
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Understanding how the cell cycle is controlled to improve cancer therapies
A cancer-focused grant researching the molecular switches that tell cells when to divide, with goals that could lead to better cancer medicines.
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Genome browser tools for exploring human biology
A widely used online genome browser and its tools help researchers study human biology and disease by organizing and displaying vast genetic data.
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Unlocking the full power of long-read DNA sequencing for biology
A research project aims to make long-read DNA sequencing easier and more useful so scientists can map complete transcriptomes and run high-quality sequencing in more labs, including those with smaller budgets.
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Role of lncRNAs in tuberculosis infection of macrophages
Researchers are studying how long non-coding RNAs influence the body’s early immune response to tuberculosis inside immune cells, which could reveal new ways to help the body fight infection.
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How H. pylori senses signals to colonize the stomach and cause ulcers and cancer
This research looks at how the stomach bacterium H. pylori uses a sensor called TlpC to survive immune attack and promote ulcers and stomach cancer, which matters for people with H. pylori infection.
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Understanding Our Internal Body Clocks
This research aims to uncover the basic workings of our body's internal clocks, called circadian rhythms, which help synchronize our daily functions with the 24-hour day.
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Understanding how brain connections form between cortical areas in autism
A researcher at UC Santa Cruz is studying how specific brain connections develop in the visual system to understand neurodevelopmental conditions like autism.
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Understanding how cells detect and degrade faulty mRNA with early stop signals
A research team will study how cells recognize and destroy mRNA that ends too early, which is linked to many inherited human diseases.
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How microbes influence our body’s internal clock
This NIH grant studies how microbes may affect the body’s daily rhythms and clock signals using zebrafish to understand human circadian biology.
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Molecular clues to keeping motor skills steady
Researchers are studying how motor skills become consistently reliable from development and stay steady for life, using birdsong as a model to understand the biology behind stable movement.
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Telomeres and Telomerase in Cancer
This project studies how telomeres and the enzyme telomerase maintain chromosome ends and how their problems contribute to cancer.
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Inorganic Chemistry for Health: New Antidotes and Leishmaniasis Treatments
Aims to build a chemical program using inorganic compounds to create medicinal solutions, including a potential antidote for carbon monoxide poisoning and improved understanding of antimony-based drugs for leishmaniasis.
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How Helicobacter pylori helper proteins let the bacteria move and survive in the stomach
This project looks at how certain proteins on H. pylori’s tail help the bacteria move, stick, and survive in the stomach, which could help people with H. pylori infections and related ulcers.
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A new resource of tagged secretome proteins in a nematode model
Scientists will build a library of C. elegans strains with endogenously tagged secreted proteins to map where they go in the body, helping us understand diseases related to protein signals.
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Aging-related platelet production: how aging changes blood clotting cells from stem cells
Aging changes how blood platelets are made and function, and this study looks at the cells that give rise to platelets to understand why older adults have more bleeding or clotting problems.
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Sensor-based test for synovial sarcoma that detects SS18-SSX fusion mRNA and protein
A patient-friendly test is being developed to rapidly and precisely detect the SS18-SSX cancer hallmark in synovial sarcoma using a new nanopore sensing method.
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New ways to map the full scope of the epigenome and epitranscriptome
A scientist team at UC Santa Cruz is refining long‑read sequencing methods to create a more complete map of how our DNA and RNA are regulated, which could help understand diseases linked to gene regulation.
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Structure-guided design to boost RSV G protein immunogens
Aimed at creating RSV vaccines for young children by engineering RSV G protein pieces to trigger strong, protective immunity.
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How cells edit RNA messages (splicing)
This research looks at how cells cut and join RNA messages so scientists can find new ways to treat cancers and genetic conditions like Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
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How copper and zinc interactions with the prion protein affect brain cells in Alzheimer's
This project looks at how copper and zinc binding to the brain's prion protein may change its shape and lead to cell damage in Alzheimer's disease.
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How different shapes of amyloid beta enter brain cells and cause harm
This project looks at whether different structural forms of amyloid beta enter nerve cells and cause damage in people with Alzheimer's disease.
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How LMO2-positive cells help breast cancer spread
This project looks at how LMO2-positive tumor cells respond to inflammation and drive metastasis in people with breast cancer.
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Telomere-to-telomere human genomes for health and disease
Aims to make complete human genome maps more affordable and easier to produce so researchers can catch genetic clues that affect health.
Quick answers
How many clinical trials run by University of California Santa Cruz are recruiting right now?
2, as of November 12, 2026. We update this list each time we refresh our data from ClinicalTrials.gov.
Where are these trials running?
All of them have sites in United States. Each study page lists its sites and which ones are recruiting.
How do I join one?
Open a study, check the "Is this trial a fit for you?" section, then contact the study team listed on the page. They will ask a few screening questions. Asking is free and does not commit you to anything. Talk it over with your doctor first.
Find the studies that fit you
A list is a starting point. Tell us your situation in your own words and we'll rank the studies that match and explain why. It's free and needs no account.