Question: What are clinical trials for ulcerative colitis?
Answer: Clinical trials—and other types of clinical studies—are part of medical research and involve people like you. When you volunteer to take part in a clinical study, you help doctors and researchers learn more about disease and improve health care for people in the future.

Researchers are studying many aspects of ulcerative colitis and other types of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), such as

genesthat are associated with IBD in African Americans
whether a special diet can alter the bacteria in thelarge intestineand induce remission in children with ulcerative colitis
how theimmune systemcontrolsinflammationin thedigestive tractin people with IBD
new treatments for ulcerative colitis

Find out if clinical studies are right for you.

Watch a video of NIDDK Director Dr. Griffin P. Rodgers explaining the importance of participating in clinical trials.
Question: What clinical studies for ulcerative colitis are looking for participants?
Answer: You can view a filtered list of clinical studies on ulcerative colitis that are federally funded, open, and recruiting at ClinicalTrials.gov. You can expand or narrow the list to include clinical studies from industry, universities, and individuals; however, the NIH does not review these studies and cannot ensure they are safe. Always talk with your health care provider before you participate in a clinical study.
Question: What have we learned about ulcerative colitis from NIDDK-funded research?
Answer: The NIDDK has supported many studies to learn more about ulcerative colitis and other types of IBD. NIDDK-supported research efforts include

theIBD Genetics Consortium (IBDGC), established in 2002 to identify genes that make some people more likely to develop IBD. The IBDGC, in collaboration with theInternational IBD Genetics Consortium, has enrolled thousands of people with IBD and identified about 200 regions of the human genome that are associated with risk of IBD.
thePredicting Response to Standardized Pediatric Colitis Therapy (PROTECT) study, which has identified genetic factors and patient characteristics that may help researchers develop more personalized and effective treatment approaches for children with ulcerative colitis.
studies through theNIH Integrative Human Microbiome Project, which have examined the relationship between themicrobiomeand IBD.