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There is no single verified public alert service that covers every clinical-trial registry and sends alerts for every new match. For U.S. searches, start with ClinicalTrials.gov: save individual studies there to check for updates, but do not assume that saving a study will email you about new trials matching your search. To broaden your search internationally, use the World Health Organization’s ICTRP Search Portal; for current EU/EEA records, search the CTIS public portal. The older EU Clinical Trials Register offers an RSS feed for matching records added or updated in the previous seven days.
First decide what you want an alert to tell you
“New” can mean three different things, and each requires a different kind of monitoring:
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- A newly registered study: a trial record was added to a registry. It may not be recruiting.
- A change to a study you know about: its record was updated. A record change does not necessarily mean recruitment has started.
- A study recruiting now: the current recruitment status says it is seeking participants. This status can change, so check the record before acting.
Choose the goal before setting search filters. If you are looking to participate, prioritize recruiting and not-yet-recruiting records, then verify status, location, eligibility, and contact details on the record itself.
Which registry or portal should you use?
| Service | Best use | What it provides | Important limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| ClinicalTrials.gov | U.S. searches and a broad public starting point | Search filters, individual saved studies, and study records with recruitment information | ClinicalTrials.gov says it does not send study communications or match people to trials. Saving a study lets you check that record for updates; it is not established as an email alert for every new search match. |
| WHO ICTRP Search Portal | Broadening a search across registries around the world | A single searchable entry point to data supplied by participating registries | Portal records are in English, and the portal does not establish identical update timing across data providers. Follow a result to its originating registry for full details and contact information. |
| CTIS public portal and trial map | Current EU/EEA clinical-trial records | Public searches by condition and location, including lay-language searches | EMA-documented alerts in CTIS workspaces are for sponsors and authorities, not public patient email alerts. |
| EU Clinical Trials Register (EU-CTR) | Relevant older, Directive-era EU records | An RSS feed for matching records added or updated in the previous seven days | It is a legacy source, not a replacement for current CTIS coverage. EMA directs users to CTIS for trials under the Clinical Trials Regulation. |
Search ClinicalTrials.gov and keep track of individual studies
- Open ClinicalTrials.gov and search for the condition or disease. Try common synonyms if the first search is too narrow.
- If you are seeking a trial to join, filter for recruiting and not-yet-recruiting studies. Add a location and travel radius, and refine with age, sex, treatment, or other available criteria.
- Open a promising record and review its recruitment status, eligibility criteria, locations, and contact details.
- Save studies you want to follow using My Saved Studies. Return to those records to check for updates; do not treat saving one as a confirmed email alert for new studies matching your condition.
ClinicalTrials.gov’s patient FAQ says: “ClinicalTrials.gov does not send out communications about studies, advertise studies, or answer questions about a specific study.” Its home page lists RSS Feeds, but the public materials cited here do not establish a condition-search subscription workflow or guarantee that a feed will notify you of every new match.
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Broaden the search with WHO ICTRP
The World Health Organization describes its portal this way: “The ICTRP Search Portal aims to provide a single point of access to information about ongoing and completed clinical trials.” It brings together information supplied by registries around the world, so it is useful when a local search may miss a trial registered elsewhere.
- Search the ICTRP Search Portal with the condition and, where relevant, intervention.
- Use synonyms and combine terms with AND, OR, or NOT when that makes the search more precise.
- Narrow results by recruitment status, country, registration date, or phase as appropriate. Sort by registration date to review recently registered records.
- Open relevant results at the originating registry before relying on details or contacting a study team.
ICTRP portal records are in English. Some source registries provide additional languages; WHO lists the systems that supply portal data on its data providers page. Because the portal combines multiple providers, its description does not establish one update schedule shared by all of them.
Find current EU/EEA trials in CTIS
For current trials under the EU Clinical Trials Regulation, use the public Clinical Trials Information System (CTIS). Its public portal and trial map let patients and clinicians search by condition and location; searches can use lay language and official EU/EEA languages.
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A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11Search for the condition and relevant location, then inspect each record for recruitment status, eligibility, and study contacts. Do not confuse professional CTIS workspace notifications with patient alerts: EMA describes workspace alert functions for sponsors and authorities, not public email notifications for patients.
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Use the EU Clinical Trials Register RSS feed for older records
The EU Clinical Trials Register documents an RSS feed generated from a matching search. Its stated window is records added or updated in the previous seven days, according to the European Medicines Agency’s EU-CTR page accessed in 2026. That window applies to the feed’s matching records; it is not a promise that the register covers all current EU/EEA trials.
Use EU-CTR when an older Directive-era record is relevant. For trials under the Clinical Trials Regulation, EMA directs users to CTIS.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Check a result before contacting a study team
- Recruitment status: confirm the record currently says recruiting or not yet recruiting if you are considering participation.
- Location: check the listed study sites and whether they are practical for you.
- Eligibility: read inclusion and exclusion criteria, but do not assume you can determine eligibility without the study team.
- Contact information: use the contact details on the originating registry record. ClinicalTrials.gov says contact details are provided for studies looking for participants.
ClinicalTrials.gov does not enroll or match participants. If you are considering a trial, contact its study team directly and discuss participation questions with your healthcare professional.
Or skip the browser setup
For developers who want to capture a registry page as an image or PDF, ScreenshotNeo provides a website screenshot API. One GET request can return a screenshot; this example saves the response as a WebP file:
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curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://clinicaltrials.gov/ -o shot.webpSee the ScreenshotNeo API documentation for options and response details. Cookie banners, popups, and chat widgets are removed before capture; bot checks, blank pages, and failed loads are not billed. An MCP server lets AI agents take screenshots. The free plan includes 1,000 screenshots a month with no card, and paid plans start at $5 for 3,000. Sign up for ScreenshotNeo’s free plan.
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