The NIH Clinical Center is the world's largest hospital entirely devoted to clinical research. It is a national resource that makes it possible to rapidly translate scientific observations and laboratory discoveries into new approaches for diagnosing, treating, and preventing disease.
Clinical research is at the heart of the Clinical Center's mission.
Over 1,600 clinical research studies are conducted at the NIH Clinical Center, including those focused on cancer, infectious diseases, blood disorders, heart disease, lung disease, alcoholism and drug abuse. Most of these studies are sponsored by the Institutes and Centers at NIH.
Here is a sample of abstracts from the clinical research conducted at the NIH Clinical Center and published in a peer reviewed medical journal this year. Links to the full text and video formats are provided if available.
2026
Disease-causing STAT3 variants can be discriminated by a functional flow cytometry test
Published in: Pediatric Allergy and Immunology (February 2026)
Mutations in the STAT3 gene can result in increased or decreased function, affecting cell growth and immune system responses, which cause human diseases. However, STAT3-mutation classification is a bottleneck for patient diagnosis and treatment. Researchers report they have optimized a single flow cytometry-based functional test able to determine the function of STAT3 mutations. The test is adapted for clinical laboratories, enabling accessible and reliable evaluation of STAT3 genetic changes.
Read the article.
Associations Between Fatty Acid Levels in Human Blood and Trigeminovascular Tissues
Published in: Lipids (January 2026)
Omega-3 and omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are precursors to oxylipins that modulate pain and inflammation. Study authors previously found that dietary intervention increasing omega-3 and reducing omega-6 PUFAs alters the concentration of these oxylipin precursors in blood, changes associated with reduced headache pain. They now report that blood measurements of certain PUFAs can serve as a proxy of their concentration in tissues directly involved in headache onset.
Read the article.
Read more articles about research in the NIH Clinical Center in 2026.