Gastroparesis is a condition in which the stomach empties abnormally slowly despite the absence of a physical obstruction, causing nausea, vomiting, bloating, and difficulty maintaining nutrition. It occurs most commonly in people with diabetes but also affects those following viral illness or surgical vagal injury, and many cases have no identifiable cause. It can be severely debilitating and difficult to treat.
What's actually going on in research
Current treatments — dietary modification, prokinetic agents such as metoclopramide, and gastric electrical stimulation devices — provide incomplete relief for many patients. Motilin receptor agonists and ghrelin receptor agonists, including relamorelin, have shown promise in trials for reducing vomiting frequency. Newer research is exploring the use of GLP-1 receptor agonist cessation in drug-induced gastroparesis, prucalopride as a prokinetic, and gastric peroral endoscopic myotomy (G-POEM) as a minimally invasive procedural option.
Ghrelin receptor agonists
Relamorelin and other ghrelin receptor agonists accelerate gastric emptying and significantly reduce vomiting in trials, representing a more targeted prokinetic approach than existing drugs.
G-POEM procedure
Gastric peroral endoscopic myotomy — an incisionless endoscopic procedure that cuts the pyloric muscle — is being evaluated in trials as a durable treatment for refractory gastroparesis.
Centrally acting therapies
Tricyclic antidepressants and neuromodulating agents targeting the gut-brain axis are being studied for symptom relief independent of gastric emptying rate, acknowledging the central sensitization component of gastroparesis.
What to know before you search
Eligibility often requires confirmed delayed gastric emptying on scintigraphy, documented diabetes or other etiology, and failure of dietary measures.
What types of trials are currently open
- Prokinetic drug trials — Testing ghrelin agonists, motilin agonists, and serotonin receptor agents to accelerate gastric emptying.
- Endoscopic procedure trials — Evaluating G-POEM and pyloric botulinum toxin injection for refractory gastroparesis.
- Neuromodulation trials — Studying gastric electrical stimulation and transcutaneous nerve stimulation for symptom control.
- Gut-brain axis trials — Testing centrally acting agents for nausea and vomiting independent of gastric motility.
- Diabetic gastroparesis studies — Assessing glycemic control strategies and targeted prokinetics in diabetes-associated gastroparesis.
Recently added Gastroparesis trials
Complete tests measuring insulin levels when your stomach stimulator is temporarily off
The goal of this observational study is to determine how much effect turning the subject's Gastric Electrical Stimulator off for up to four hours will have on levels of insulin, C-peptide, GLP-1 and Glucose levels in patients with gastroparesis who have had a GES for at least three months, who are not taking diabetic prescribed exogenous insulin. EKG recordings will be made and analyzed for Heart Rate Variability and Power Spectral Analysis.
Try acupuncture to help your stomach empty normally after surgery
This multicenter clinical trial, conducted at Qilu Hospital of Shandong University and collaborating institutions, prospectively assesses the efficacy and safety of acupuncture for postoperative delayed gastric emptying. Eligible participants will be prospectively enrolled and randomized into different groups per the study protocol. The primary endpoint is the reduction in the duration of delayed gastric emptying, while secondary endpoints include the complete resolution of cardinal gastroparetic symptoms, such as abdominal distension, nausea, and vomiting. All study procedures adhere to the ethical standards outlined in the approved protocol.
Find Gastroparesis trials matched specifically to you
Answer 3 quick questions and we'll show you trials that fit your situation.