Mass General - Division of Clinical Research

Latino individuals, the fastest growing ethnic minority population in the United States, have a higher prevalence of type 2 diabetes and diabetes-related complications, and are more likely to report inconsistent use of diabetes medications than non-Hispanic White individuals. The proposed project will test an interactive text message-based tool tailored to address barriers to taking diabetes medications that are relevant to Latino adults. If found feasible, acceptable, and usable, this intervention could serve as a scalable tool to improve diabetes management and reduce diabetes-related complications among Latino adults in the United States.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jun 2024

open study

The purpose of this study is to obtain informed consent to use stored human biological materials (HBM) (e.g., blood and other tissues) for future studies that may include genetic testing.

Type: Observational

Start Date: Feb 2002

open study

Research suggests that Whole Body Hyperthermia in a sauna-like environment can reduce symptoms related to post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 (PASC), or Long Covid. The investigators aim to study the feasibility and treatment effect of this procedure for patients experiencing Long Covid symptoms.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Sep 2024

open study

To collect Tau PET/CT imaging in older adults diagnosed with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) or Alzheimer's Disease (AD) in the Mismatch Prospective Cohort Study (MPC-Tau) study to determine relationship to clinical, cognitive, and other biomarker data. Findings from this study will likely provide insight into the phenotypic variability of Alzheimer's Disease and other related pathologies.

Type: Observational

Start Date: Mar 2023

open study

This study is evaluating the safety and tolerability of neoadjuvant stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) with atezolizumab and bevacizumab for treating resectable hepatocellular carcinoma. This study involves the following study interventions: - Atezolizumab - Bevacizumab - Stereotactic Beam Radiation Therapy (SBRT) - Surgery

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jun 2021

open study

The purpose of this study is to characterize the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and antitumor activity of oral cemsidomide (also known as CFT7455) administered at different dosages in subjects with Relapsed/Refractory (r/r) Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma (NHL) or Multiple Myeloma (MM). Cemsidomide may be administered as a single agent and, in MM only, in combination with oral dexamethasone.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Apr 2021

open study

The goal of this study is to learn more about the genes that control puberty and reproduction in humans.

Type: Observational

Start Date: Jan 2021

open study

The Paradigm study is a prospective, multicenter, single arm study to demonstrate the safety and effectiveness of the Amplatzer Valvular Plug III (AVP III) as a treatment for clinically significant PVLs following surgical implant of a mechanical or biological heart valve implanted in the aortic or mitral position.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Dec 2020

open study

This research is to evaluate the effectiveness of Talazoparib as a potential treatment for metastatic breast cancer with a BRCA 1 or BRCA 2 mutation.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Nov 2021

open study

Prospective randomized, multi-center, double blind placebo-controlled trial to assess the chemopreventive impact of atorvastatin (20 mg oral) vs placebo in up to 60 adults with advanced fibrosis at high risk of developing HCC.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: May 2023

open study

This study aims to examine the clinical profile/anatomical characteristics and natural history of patients who subsequently fail screening for transcatheter mitral valve intervention (TMVI).

Type: Observational [Patient Registry]

Start Date: Aug 2021

open study

The purpose of this pilot study is to examine the feasibility and acceptability of a brief psychotherapy intervention to improve psychosocial coping and maintain couple relationships among young adults (aged 25-39) with cancer and their caregiving partners.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Apr 2024

open study

The aim of this research study is to use advanced immunology laboratory analysis to identify a more precise blood test that will predict infection risk in patients with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia or Small Lymphocytic Lymphoma (CLL/SLL) or Multiple Myeloma (MM).

Type: Observational

Start Date: Aug 2023

open study

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) represents the leading cause of death worldwide. While medications, such as statins, significantly reduce atherosclerotic CVD (ASCVD) risk by lowering low density lipoprotein levels, they may also have pleiotropic effects on inflammation. The immunomodulatory effects of these medications are relevant to ASCVD risk reduction given that inflammation plays a central role in atherosclerotic plaque formation (atherogenesis) and influences the development of vulnerable plaque morphology. Patients on statins, however, may have residual inflammation contributing to incident ASCVD despite the potent LDL-lowering effects of statins. While new therapies, such as proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PSCK9) inhibitors, further reduce incident ASCVD and drastically reduce LDL-C below that achieved by statin therapy alone, PCSK9 inhibitors may also have pleiotropic effects on inflammation. Thus, PCSK9 inhibitors may help reduce arterial inflammation to a level closer to that of patients without ASCVD. This study will apply a novel targeted molecular imaging approach, technetium 99m (99mTc)-tilmanocept SPECT/CT, to determine if residual macrophage-specific arterial inflammation is present with statin therapy and the immunomodulatory effects of PSCK9 inhibition. Given the continued high mortality and morbidity attributable to ASCVD, strong imperatives exist to better understand the immunomodulatory effects of lipid lowering therapies and residual inflammatory risk. This understanding, in turn, will inform the development of new ASCVD preventative and treatment strategies as well as elucidate other indications for established therapies.

Type: Observational

Start Date: Apr 2024

open study

Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS)-guided percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has been shown in clinical trials, registries, and meta-analyses to reduce recurrent events after PCI. This is accomplished by improving the angiographic result with lesion and vessel assessment to guide stent selection and implantation and intravascular imaging following stent implantation to ensure an adequate treatment endpoint has been achieved. Despite extensive literature supporting the use of IVUS in PCI, utilization remains low in the United States. An increasing number of high-risk or complex lesions are being treated with PCI and we hypothesize that the impact of IVUS in these complex lesions will be of increased importance in reducing clinical adverse events while remaining cost effective.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Oct 2020

open study

The focus of this study is to test the efficacy of an 8-week, remotely delivered, positive-psychology-motivational interviewing (PP-MI) intervention, with additional twice weekly text messages for a total of 16 weeks (with interactive, algorithm-driven, goal-focused text messages in the final 8 weeks), compared to MI-alone, in a randomized trial of 280 individuals with type 2 diabetes and low baseline physical activity.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Oct 2022

open study

The investigators recently observed that up to 25% of women with X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD) have moderate to severe Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS). In this study, the investigators aim to estimate the prevalence of RLS among women with ALD and to assess whether pramipexole improves RLS symptoms as well as sleep and gait measures in women with ALD.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Apr 2023

open study

The ascending aorta conducts blood from the heart to the rest of the body. The ascending aorta can become enlarged, and the risk of tearing and rupturing becomes higher with larger aorta. When the ascending aorta tears or ruptures, the risk dying is high even if surgery is done as soon as possible. Traditionally, when the ascending aorta gets above 5.5 cm, surgery is recommended to replace the aorta. However, this threshold is based relatively weak evidence, and sometimes patients with smaller aorta can tear or rupture. On the other hand, surgery carries its own risk as well. Since there are risk of waiting or doing surgery, there is currently no great support for either approach for patients with a smaller aorta. In the TITAN SvS trial, patients with an ascending aorta between 5.0 to 5.5 cm is assigned by chance to the early surgery group, in which they will undergo replacement of aorta, or the surveillance group, in which they will be closely monitored. The chance of dying or suffer tearing or rupture of aorta between the two groups will be compared. The result of the trial will guide future practice for patients with enlarged ascending aorta. This is a prospective, multi-centre randomized control trial that compares the all-cause mortality, aneurysm-related aortic events, rate of stroke, and quality of life for those patients undergoing early elective ascending aortic surgery to those patients undergoing surveillance. Patients referred for an ascending aortic aneurysm that meets the inclusion criteria will be randomized to the early elective surgery group or the surveillance group. Recruitment will end when the desired sample size is reached, and the patients will be followed for a minimum 2-year period. The primary objective of the trial is to compare the composite outcome of the all-cause mortality and incidence of acute aortic events between surveillance and elective ascending aortic surgery for patients with degenerative or bicuspid valve-related ascending aortic aneurysm after 2 years of follow up. The hypothesis is that the early surgery group will have a significantly lower all-cause mortality and incidence of acute aortic events at 2 years of follow up compare to the surveillance group. The result of this trial will provide evidence based guidance in the appropriate management of ascending aortic aneurysm based on the size criteria, and establish a large database for future investigations.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Sep 2018

open study

The goal of this prospective study to investigate the use of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) to guide end of therapy decisions in patients with melanoma or non-small-cell lung cancer. The main question it aims to answer is: • Do patients with metastatic melanoma or non-small-cell lung cancer, who have received at least 12 months of immune checkpoint inhibition (monotherapy or in combination) with evidence of disease response/control on imaging and have no evidence of circulating tumor DNA, have an increased 12-month disease free survival in comparison to historical controls?

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jan 2024

open study

The overall goal of the proposed research is to evaluate the use of [11C]SY08 as a PET radiotracer for aggregated alpha synuclein (αS) in individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD), Multiple system atrophy (MSA), Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB) and healthy controls. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the use of [11C]SY08 as a PET radiotracer for αS fibrils in individuals with PD, MSA, DLB and healthy controls. The specific aims of the current study are: 1. To determine brain uptake, distribution, and kinetics of [11C]SY08 in healthy individuals. 2. To determine brain uptake, distribution, and kinetics of [11C]SY08 in patients with alpha synuclein aggregates in the brain, including PD, DLB and MSA. 3. To determine human dosimetry of [11C]SY08 in healthy individuals An intravenous bolus injection of [11C]SY08 will be administered per subject for brain PET imaging.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: May 2024

open study

The aim of this study is to find out whether the combination of two approved drugs, ipilimumab and nivolumab, in combination with cryoablation are safe and effective for participants who have an unresectable melanoma that is resistant, or is growing, after receiving immunotherapy with a PD-1 inhibitor. The names of the study interventions involved in this study are: - Cryoablation (an interventional radiology procedure that freezes part of a tumor) - Ipilimumab (an immunotherapy) - Nivolumab (an immunotherapy)

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Sep 2023

open study

Comorbid Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS) may be one factor that limits speech development in some minimally verbal children with autism. CAS is a disorder affecting speech movement planning. This study tests whether CAS-specific treatment, appropriately modified for minimally verbal children with autism, improves their speech.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: May 2024

open study

This study is a prospective, single-arm study conducted under a common implant and follow-up protocol. The objective will be to follow fifty-seven (57) adolescents and young adults (10-21 years of age), with Down syndrome, moderate to severe sleep apnea, and post-adenotonsillectomy, for 12 months after undergoing implant of the Inspire Upper Airway Stimulation (UAS) System. The study is being conducted in order to evaluate objective change in cognition and expressive language after implant and therapy with the Inspire UAS System.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jun 2021

open study

Adjacent segment disease (ASD) in the lumbar spine is a well-known sequela of lumbar fusion surgery. The annual incidence of adjacent level re-operation is approximately 3% with a ten-year prevalence of 20-30%. Frequently, the surgical treatment involves decompression of the adjacent level coupled with extension of the instrumentation and fusion. Advocates of this paradigm cite the altered kinematics and biomechanics of levels adjacent to a lumbar fusion mass. Furthermore, decompressed levels adjacent to a fused segments are associated with higher rates of ASD in retrospective studies. Yet, a retrospective review of higher quality data concluded decompression adjacent to single-level fusion provides similar outcomes compared to fusions extending across the decompressed segments. Given the conflicting data currently available, higher quality data are needed to guide surgical decision-making in ASD. The purpose of this trial is to prospectively compare decompression and decompression with fusion in patients with lumbar ASD.

Type: Observational

Start Date: Sep 2020

open study

The goal of this clinical trial is to compare the safety and effectiveness of infliximab compared to steroids for the treatment of immune checkpoint inhibitor-induced colitis (ICI colitis) in patients with stage III/IV skin cancer. The main questions this study aims to answer are: - How many patients treated with infliximab experience steroid-free disease resolution after 7 weeks? - How many patients treated with steroids experience steroid-free disease resolution after 7 weeks?

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Aug 2020

open study