Mass General - Division of Clinical Research

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a growing epidemic in the United States. Despite this, the treatment options remain limited. Preclinical and preliminary clinical data suggest that estrogen deficiency plays an important role in the pathology of steatosis, inflammation and fibrosis in non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), the progressive form of NAFLD. Post-menopausal women are a growing population with particularly high risk of NASH due to their lack of estrogen. This study will examine the effect of estradiol on hepatic fibrosis and fat in post-menopausal women with NASH.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Dec 2021

open study

The objective of this study is to evaluate real world long-term functional outcomes, safety and performance of the Indigo Aspiration System for the treatment of pulmonary embolism (PE).

Type: Observational

Start Date: Jun 2021

open study

Patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) often have concomitant coronary artery disease (CAD) which may adversely affect prognosis. There is uncertainty about the benefits and the optimal timing of revascularization for such patients. There is currently clinical equipoise regarding the management of concomitant CAD in patients undergoing TAVR. Some centers perform routine revascularization with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) (either before or after TAVR), while others follow an alternative strategy of medical management. The potential benefits and optimal timing of PCI in these patients are unknown. As TAVR expands to lower risk patients, and potentially becomes the preferred therapy for the majority of patients with severe aortic stenosis, the optimal management of concomitant coronary artery disease will be of increasing importance. The COMPLETE TAVR study will determine whether, on a background of guideline-directed medical therapy, a strategy of complete revascularization involving staged PCI using drug eluting stents to treat all suitable coronary artery lesions is superior to a strategy of medical therapy alone in reducing the composite outcome of Cardiovascular Death, new Myocardial Infarction, Ischemia-driven Revascularization or Hospitalization for Unstable Angina or Heart Failure. The study will be a randomized, multicenter, open-label trial with blinded adjudication of outcomes. Patients will be screened and consented for elective transfemoral TAVR and randomized within 96 hours of successful balloon expandable TAVR. Complete Revascularization: Staged PCI using third generation drug eluting stents to treat all suitable coronary artery lesions in vessels that are at least 2.5 mm in diameter and that are amenable to treatment with PCI and have a ≥70% visual angiographic diameter stenosis. Staged PCI can occur any time from 1 to 45 days post successful transfemoral TAVR. Vs. Medical Therapy Alone: No further revascularization of coronary artery lesions. All patients, regardless of randomized treatment allocation, will receive guideline-directed medical therapy consisting of risk factor modification and use of evidence-based therapies. The COMPLETE TAVR study will help address the current lack of evidence in this area. It will likely impact both the global delivery of health care and the management and clinical outcomes of all patients undergoing TAVR with concomitant CAD.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Dec 2020

open study

This research study evaluates the effect of chemotherapy on cognition (thinking) and the brain in people with breast cancer.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Mar 2015

open study

This study is being conducted in order to understand the safety and effects of different doses of EDG-7500 as a single dose in adults with obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (oHCM) and as multiple doses in adults with obstructive or nonobstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (nHCM).

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Apr 2024

open study

The TricValve® Transcatheter Bicaval Valve System is a bicaval transcatheter tricuspid valve replacement system, which includes the TricValve® Transcatheter Bicaval Valve for superior vena cava (SVC) and the TricValve® Transcatheter Bicaval Valve for inferior vena cava (IVC). The TricValve® Transcatheter Bicaval Valves are pre-mounted into the TricValve® Delivery System which is used for percutaneous access and delivery of the TricValve® Transcatheter Bicaval Valve in the vena cava. The system is a single use, sterile device compatible with all the valve sizes. The prostheses are implanted percutaneously into the inferior and superior vena cava without disturbing the native tricuspid valve. The device is made of bovine pericardium leaflets sutured on a nitinol self-expanding stent system.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jul 2024

open study

A study of how supplemental oxygen helps patients with acute pulmonary embolism (PE). Hypothesis: Oxygen affects right ventricular dysfunction (RVD) in patients with acute pulmonary embolism (PE) primarily by relieving hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction and reducing pulmonary pressure (PA) pressure, and that this process is metabolically driven.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Oct 2023

open study

The goal of this study is to treat patients with NOTCH active advanced adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) tumors with a combination or two different oral medications to slow tumor growth and improve survival outcomes. The names of the study drugs involved in this study are: - CB-103 (an oral NOTCH pathway inhibitor) - Abemaciclib (CDK4/6 inhibitor) - Lenvatinib (a vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI))

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jun 2023

open study

Objective: Wearable technology holds promising potential for mental health monitoring and detection. Samsung has developed an algorithm that they believe can detect signs of depression and anxiety in smartwatch users. They have used this algorithm to create a "Mindfulness Index," which is an easily understood visual index of mental health. The primary aim of the study is to evaluate the performance of Samsung's Mindfulness Index in identifying those who have received a diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) from a clinician-administered semi-structured diagnostic interview. Research Procedures: The target sample size is 135 individuals diagnosed with current Major Depressive Disorder and 85 healthy controls. To meet this target, the recruitment target is set at 220 participants. Participants will be assigned to the MDD condition, or the healthy control condition based on their score on the Beck Depression Inventory. Each subject will be followed for 3 months. Participants will be provided with a Samsung smartphone and Samsung smartwatch. Participants will be asked to wear the smartwatch 24 hours per day, except while charging. This smartwatch will collect data on heartrate, sleep time, and step count. During the study, each day participants will receive texts prompting a link to a "daily diary." These surveys will ask about depression and anxiety symptoms. Additionally, during the first 3 weeks of the study, participants will participate in ecological momentary assessment; texts will be sent 5 times per day prompting participants to fill out a survey about how they currently feel in that moment. These extra surveys will stop after the first 3 weeks of the study, but the daily diary surveys will continue throughout the study. Furthermore, virtual clinician visits will occur at weeks 4, 8, and 12.

Type: Observational

Start Date: Apr 2023

open study

This is a Phase I open label multi-center study to evaluate the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics and preliminary effectiveness of the investigational drug MYTX-011 in patients with locally advanced, recurrent or metastatic NSCLC. MYTX-011 is in a class of medications called antibody drug conjugates (ADCs). MYTX-011 is composed of a pH-dependent anti-cMET antibody and the potent antimicrotubule drug monomethyl auristatin E (MMAE).

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Mar 2023

open study

This is an adaptive Phase 2/3 multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized, parallel, 2 arm study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of DA-1229 compared to placebo in patients with calcific aortic valve disease with mild to moderate aortic stenosis. There are 2 arms in this study to which patients will be randomized in a ratio of 1:1 to receive the DA-1229 or placebo orally once daily for a period of 104 weeks. The 2 arms are: placebo and DA-1229 10 mg Group. The study will have three phases: Screening Period (up to 4 weeks), Treatment Period (104 weeks), and Follow-Up Period (2-4 weeks). Total Study Duration is112 Weeks.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jun 2022

open study

The purpose of this study is to see whether Isatuximab can help improve kidney function of participants with MGRS. Isatuximab is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of adult patients with multiple myeloma, but it is not approved by the FDA to treat MGRS. This means that the use of isatuximab in this study is considered 'investigational'.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jun 2021

open study

In this trial, ziftomenib, a menin-MLL(KMT2A) inhibitor, will be tested in patients for the first time. The trial includes a Main Study and four sub-studies. In the Main Study (including Phase 1a, Phase 1b, and Phase 2 portions), ziftomenib will be evaluated in patients with relapsed or refractory (R/R) acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The main study has completed enrollment. In Sub-studies 1 and 2, the effects of taking ziftomenib and other common drugs at the same time will be investigated in AML patients. In Sub-study 3, ziftomenib will be evaluated in patients with R/R acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). In Sub-study 4, ziftomenib will be evaluated in patients with R/R AML with certain genetic mutations.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Sep 2019

open study

This phase III trial studies how well active surveillance help doctors to monitor subjects with low risk germ cell tumors for recurrence after their tumor is removed. When the germ cell tumor has spread outside of the organ in which it developed, it is considered metastatic. Chemotherapy drugs, such as bleomycin, carboplatin, etoposide, and cisplatin, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells, by stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading. The trial studies whether carboplatin or cisplatin is the preferred chemotherapy to use in treating metastatic standard risk germ cell tumors.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: May 2017

open study

This research is being conducted to assess the safety and effectiveness of increased dosing of Omalizumab for food allergies.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jun 2025

open study

This is a randomized, controlled pilot trial (N=30) to examine the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of the Move with Meaning program, an 8- week, text message- and audio-based intervention to promote physical activity in midlife adults.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Sep 2024

open study

This study is a mechanistic randomized controlled trial that investigates whether inhibition of tumor necrosis factor signaling via intravenous infusion of infliximab improves psychomotor speed and executive functioning in depressed individuals who exhibit an inflammatory phenotype.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jan 2025

open study

This research is being done to evaluate Glofitamab by itself or in combination with Polatuzumab Vedotin, Pirtobrutinib, or Atezolizumab as possible treatments for Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) that has transformed into Richter's Transformation (RT). The names of the study drugs involved in this research study are: - Glofitamab (a T-cell bispecific humanized monoclonal antibody) - Obinutuzumab (a humanized glycoengineered type II anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody) - Polatuzumab vedotin (an antibody-drug conjugate) - Pirtobrutinib (a selective inhibitor of BTK) - Atezolizumab (a humanized immunoglobulin monoclonal antibody) - Tocilizumab (a recombinant, humanized, anti-human monoclonal antibody)

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jan 2024

open study

The aim of this study is to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of conducting a randomized trial of a brief psychoeducational intervention versus enhanced usual care for patients with locally advanced rectal cancer who are initiating neoadjuvant multimodality treatment.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Sep 2023

open study

This study will combine brain imaging and neuromodulation tools to investigate the underlying neurobiological mechanisms of exercises. The findings will enhance our understanding of the mechanisms underlying mind-body exercise and facilitate the development of new pain management approaches.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Mar 2024

open study

This project aims to optimize a critical but understudied ingredient of language intervention provided to children with developmental language disorder (DLD) - feedback. The project will bridge a gap between previous findings in our lab of inefficient feedback processing in DLD and clinical practice by identifying the conditions under which feedback-based learning can be improved in DLD. The investigators hypothesize that the effectiveness of feedback can be significantly enhanced for children with DLD when it is tailored to their unique learning strengths. The rationale for this project is based on evidence that feedback-based learning can be improved by enhancing the dominance of an intact learning system. The project will achieve its aim by manipulating (1) the timing of the feedback (immediate vs. delayed) and (2) the level of the learner's involvement in error correction dictated by feedback (active vs. passive correction). Aim 1 will determine the effect of manipulating feedback timing on learning in 140 school-age children (8-12 years) with DLD. While immediate feedback is processed by the striatum, which is also implicated in implicit learning, delaying the feedback by a few seconds shifts feedback processing to the mediate temporal lobe (MTL)-based declarative learning system. Evidence that delaying feedback improves learning in DLD would support the hypothesis of the implicit deficit theory that intervention should capitalize on declarative learning mechanisms. The project will test a novel alternative feedback-learning parity hypothesis whereby feedback-based learning is optimized when the timing of the feedback is aligned with the dominant learning system at a given time (i.e., immediate feedback during striatal-based probabilistic learning; delayed feedback during MTL-based declarative learning). Within the same group of children, Aim 2 will compare feedback-based learning in children with DLD when feedback (a) prompts active self-correction or (b) passively exposes learners to error corrections (corrective recast). Children will engage in two nonword-object paired-associate learning tasks. In one task, feedback will promote active self-correction, which is in line with declarative learning. In the other task, feedback will passively expose the learner to corrective feedback in a manner consistent with teaching approaches aiming at reducing awareness of errors. The project will determine whether children with DLD learn better when feedback prompts self-correction or when they are exposed to passive corrections. Electrophysiological measures will indicate whether passive corrections (corrective recast) are processed as negative feedback by children with DLD. For both aims, behavioral indicators of response to feedback will be complemented by electrophysiological measures of feedback processing that can determine the involvement of the striatum and MTL brain systems during the learning process. This work is scientifically and clinically significant because elucidating what manipulations optimize feedback-based learning will enhance our understanding of the impaired learning mechanism in DLD and will provide clinical guidance on what type of feedback to use during an intervention.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jul 2023

open study

This phase III trial tests two hypotheses in patients with low-risk and average-risk medulloblastoma. Medulloblastoma is a type of cancer that occurs in the back of the brain. The term, risk, refers to the chance of the cancer coming back after treatment. Subjects with low-risk medulloblastoma typically have a lower chance of the cancer coming back than subjects with average-risk medulloblastoma. Although treatment for newly diagnosed average-risk and low-risk medulloblastoma is generally effective at treating the cancer, there are still concerns about the side effects of such treatment. Side effects or unintended health conditions that arise due to treatment include learning difficulties, hearing loss or other issues in performing daily activities. Standard therapy for newly diagnosed average-risk or low-risk medulloblastoma includes surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy (including cisplatin). Cisplatin may cause hearing loss as a side effect. In the average-risk medulloblastoma patients, this trial tests whether the addition of sodium thiosulfate (STS) to standard of care chemotherapy and radiation therapy reduces hearing loss. Previous studies with STS have shown that it may help reduce or prevent hearing loss caused by cisplatin. In the low-risk medulloblastoma patients, the study tests whether a less intense therapy (reduced radiation) can provide the same benefits as the more intense therapy. The less intense therapy may cause fewer side effects. Radiation therapy uses high energy x-rays to kill tumor cells and shrink tumors. Cisplatin is in a class of medications known as platinum-containing compounds. It works by killing, stopping or slowing the growth of cancer cells. The overall goals of this study are to see if giving STS along with standard treatment (radiation therapy and chemotherapy) will reduce hearing loss in medulloblastoma patients and to compare the overall outcome of patients with medulloblastoma treated with STS to patients treated without STS on a previous study in order to make sure that survival and recurrence of tumor is not worsened.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Feb 2023

open study

This is a single-site, single-arm, open-label pilot study assessing the safety, feasibility, and efficacy of non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation (nVNS), gammaCore, for the acute treatment of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) subjects in a neurocritical care setting. 25 patients will be enrolled, all treated with an active device. The primary efficacy outcomes are reduced aneurysm rupture rate, reduced seizure and seizure-spectrum activity, minimized hemorrhage grades, and increased survival.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Oct 2022

open study

This neuroimaging study is a clinical trial investigating the effectiveness of intermittent theta-burst transcranial magnetic stimulation (iTBS-TMS) to the inferior parietal lobule (IPL) in reducing suicide risk in patients with major depressive episode (MDE) or borderline personality disorder (BPD).

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Nov 2023

open study

In this research study we want to learn more about the effects of non-invasive brain stimulation on motivation, memory, and brain-network function in cognitively unimpaired older adults and individuals with preclinical Alzheimer's disease. This study will use a form of non-invasive brain stimulation called repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS). rTMS will slightly alter activity in an area of your brain that controls cognition. Changes resulting from this stimulation will be measured with behavioral tests, as well as by taking brain images with Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). Participants will come in for one baseline visit followed by 10 days of daily rTMS study visits (Monday through Friday) and an evaluation visit. Then, there will be a 2-week break. After this break, they will return for another baseline visit, an additional 10 days of rTMS, and a final evaluation visit.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Apr 2025

open study