Mass General - Division of Clinical Research

This study is being done to better understand whether meal replacements can be an effective tool for weight loss and treatment of elevated blood sugars in people with obesity/overweight and diabetes/pre-diabetes who have a low income.

Type: Observational

Start Date: Mar 2023

open study

The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of romosozumab on bone cells during early and late phases of treatment.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jun 2023

open study

The study will consist of a 24-week-long trial examining outcomes in patients with Major Depressive Disorder and suicidal ideation who will receive intravenous (IV) ketamine and intranasal (IN) esketamine, compared to a large sample of matched historical controls. Patients will be recruited from an inpatient psychiatric unit. Eligible patients who provided informed consent will be enrolled in the study that will include a eight IV ketamine treatments, 13 esketamine treatment visits, seven long assessment visits, five short assessment visits, and daily surveys. The study will examine the feasibility, tolerability, and efficacy of repeated IV ketamine followed by esketamine, as well as predictors of treatment response.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Oct 2022

open study

In this single-center, longitudinal observational study, we will comprehensively examine clinical characteristics, proteomic, metabolomic, genomic and imaging data to better understand how different heart failure types may develop and progress over time. We will evaluate distinct sub-groups of heart failure (also known as heart failure phenotypes) and cardiomyopathies including amyloidosis with an ultimate goal of bringing the right medications and therapy to the right patients to optimize benefit and minimized side effects, an effort to improve precision medicine in heart failure.

Type: Observational [Patient Registry]

Start Date: Apr 2016

open study

The development of symptomatic heart failure is frequently preceded by a pre-clinical period of structural remodeling in the heart. The remodeling process driving this transition, however, remains poorly understood. The investigators hypothesize that imaging the diffusion of water in the heart with MRI will allow its microstructure to be resolved. The investigators further hypothesize that the characterization of microstructural changes in the heart will help elucidate the pathogenesis of heart failure and the transition from a compensated to a decompensated state. Patients with recent myocardial infarcts and left ventricular hypertrophy, who are at risk for the development of heart failure, will be enrolled. The participants will undergo serial diffusion tensor MRI (DTI) imaging of the heart to characterize changes in myocardial microstructure over time.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jun 2017

open study

This project explores whether heated yoga, sauna, and a mindfulness app reduce depressive symptoms

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Sep 2025

open study

This study will test the hypotheses that adolescent with repetitive negative thinking who at at-risk for serious mental illness will show greater default mode network (DMN) connectivity than healthy controls, at-risk adolescents will show greater changes in DMN connectivity than healthy controls, and that a longer session of mindfulness based neurofeedback will lead to greater reduction in DMN connectivity. To do so, 50 adolescents with elevated repetitive negative thinking and 50 matched healthy control participants will be enrolled into a double-blind randomized clinical trial of a session of mindfulness training with either active mindfulness-basde neurofeedback or sham mindfulness-based neurofeedback.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Nov 2025

open study

The purpose of this study is to assess detection rate of flotufolastat F 18 positron emission tomography (PET) for low prostate specific antigen (PSA) recurrence of prostate cancer (PC) following radical prostatectomy.

Type: Observational

Start Date: May 2025

open study

This is a Phase II parallel group randomized controlled trial with 294 adolescents (age: 14-21 years) with alcohol and other drug [AOD] use disorder (hereafter substance use disorder), that compares two different active psychosocial interventions designed to address adolescent substance use disorder. Participants are recruited from our clinical settings and the community at two sites: one in the metro Boston, Massachusetts (MA) area and the other in the metro Farmington, Connecticut (CT), area. Study aims and hypotheses are as follows: 1. To extend the evidence for the initial efficacy of Integrated Treatment for Enhancing Growth in Recovery During Adolescence (InTEGRA), which integrates 12-Step Facilitation (TSF) with Motivational Enhancement Therapy/Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (MET/CBT) relative to gold standard MET/CBT alone (N = 294). It is hypothesized that youth assigned to InTEGRA will have greater 12-step participation during and following treatment, higher abstinence rates, and fewer substance-related negative consequences. 2. Investigate the personal recovery capital (PRC) and social recovery capital (SRC) mechanisms of behavior change through which InTEGRA may confer benefits dynamically over time (e.g., PRC: motivation, self-efficacy, coping; SRC: 12-step involvement; social network changes). 3. Investigate moderators of InTEGRA's effects on outcomes across one-year follow-up (e.g., effect of age, network support for AOD use; psychiatric severity; age composition of 12-step meetings on substance use and substance-related consequences). It is hypothesized that higher network support for AOD use, abstinence motivation, and greater AOD severity, will have a better response to InTEGRA. 4. Explore barriers and facilitators to InTEGRA adoption and implementation across providers and system administrators within the context of a type I hybrid effectiveness-implementation research design.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Nov 2024

open study

This study is researching an experimental drug called linvoseltamab combined with another drug called dupilumab. The study is looking at patients who have severe IgE-mediated food allergy. If the patient has an allergy, the body's defense system (immune system) overreacts to an allergen (eg, certain foods like peanuts, milk, shellfish) by making antibodies called IgE. An antibody is a protein that allows the immune system to find and fight off things the body does not recognize (allergens). IgE antibodies are sent out by cells like plasma cells. These antibodies and allergens bind to other cells that send out chemicals, causing an allergic reaction. The aim of the study is to see what side effects happen when linvoseltamab is combined with dupilumab. The study is looking at several other research questions, including: - What side effects may happen from taking the study drugs - Does linvoseltamab combined with dupilumab affect other types of antibodies in the blood at different times - How much study drug(s) is in the blood at different times

Type: Interventional

Start Date: May 2024

open study

The purpose of this research study is to see how well an imaging test, called 18FDCFPyL prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA) positron emission tomography (PET), can show the extent of prostate cancer when comparing to 68Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT (another type of diagnostic scan for prostate cancer).

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Apr 2024

open study

This research study is studying a positron emission tomography (PET) agent called 18F-fluciclovine to evaluate how well 18F-fluciclovine-PET scans determine the extent of advanced prostate cancer that either has low prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) expression or has neuroendocrine features. The name of the study interventions are: - 18F-fluciclovine-PET/CT scan - Two research blood collections

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Feb 2024

open study

This research study is for people who have been waiting for a kidney transplant for at least one year, and who have a cPRA of 99.5% or higher. Having a cPRA of 99.5% or higher means that your immune system would reject 99.5% of kidneys available for transplant. The study will test whether new products called Chimeric Antigen Receptor T Cells (CAR T Cells), when given with chemotherapy, is safe and will reduce cPRA. The main study will last up to 2 years: Participants will have up to 30 clinic or hospital visits over a one-year period. If a transplant takes place, there will be 9 more visits after transplant. Long term follow up is required by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for 15 years after receiving CAR T cell. The primary objective is to evaluate the safety and feasibility of administering CART BCMA + huCART-19 following lymphodepletion, including determination of optimal tolerated regimen (OTR) and/or recommended phase 2 regimen, according to the incidence of dose limiting toxicity (DLT) in highly sensitized patients awaiting kidney transplant.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: May 2024

open study

The goal of the study is to generate a biorepository of longitudinal biofluids-blood (plasma and serum), cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) and urine linked to genetics and longitudinal clinical information that are made available to the research community. To accomplish these goals, we will enroll 800 Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) patients and 200 healthy controls from sites globally, over a 5 year time frame. Additionally, speech and motor function and spirometry measures will be collected bi-weekly in a subset of participants. ALS participants will be asked to come to the clinic for 5 study visits approximately every 4 months. Healthy participants will be coming for 2 study visits with a 12-month interval between visits. These samples and clinical information will be stored in a de-identified manner and made available for investigators to use in future research studies.

Type: Observational [Patient Registry]

Start Date: Jun 2021

open study

Current methods of measuring the response to new treatments for muscular dystrophies involve the examination of small pieces of muscle tissue called biopsies. The investigators are interested in finding less invasive methods that reduce the need for muscle biopsies. The purpose of this research is to learn about the possibility of detecting and measuring the activity and severity of muscular dystrophies by examining a urine sample and a blood sample, and some muscles in the arms and legs using tests called ultrasound and electrical impedance myography; both tests are painless and non-invasive. The information that is gathered from this study may help to evaluate, prevent, diagnose, treat, and improve the understanding of human muscle diseases.

Type: Observational

Start Date: Feb 2015

open study

The PROMISE Study aims to establish a prospective cohort of individuals with precursor conditions to multiple myeloma, such as monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) and smoldering multiple myeloma (SMM). We will study these patients as a means to identify risk factors for progression to symptomatic multiple myeloma.

Type: Observational

Start Date: Oct 2018

open study

The aim of this study is to assess whether the use of a commercially available nutraceutical, turmeric, is an effective option to manage pain and stiffness in patients with basal joint arthritis. To conduct a pilot Randomized Controlled Trial evaluating the impact of turmeric on basal joint arthritis.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Aug 2017

open study

This is a prospective, randomized, controlled clinical trial in which clinicians from University of Pennsylvania Health Systems (UPHS) including Penn Medicine- Lancaster General Health (LGH) and Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) are offered a well-known program to help reduce clinician burnout: Sudarshan Kriya Yoga (SKY) Breathing and Sahaj Meditation Intervention.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Sep 2025

open study

The goal of this research is to learn how a new device called the wireless thermal capsule (WTC) can collect thermal data to help see diseases that happen in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, such as Crohn's Disease.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jun 2025

open study

Monitoring the Use of Collagen Dural Regeneration Matrix (DuraMatrix-Onlay Plus) in the Postmarket Phase.

Type: Observational

Start Date: Jan 2025

open study

The goal of this study is to evaluate whether a psychological intervention (BMT-CARE) is effective at improving the quality of life in caregivers and patients treated with hematopoietic cell transplant compared to usual care, and to identify critical facilitators and barriers for BMT-CARE implementation and adoption.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jan 2025

open study

The primary goal of this study is to test the effectiveness of the iDECIDE (Drug Education Curriculum: Intervention, Diversion, and Empowerment) curriculum, a novel drug education and diversion program, in approximately 300 middle and high school students, who have violated their school substance use policies in the past month, as an alternative to punitive school responses for school-based substance use infractions. This randomized controlled trial will test the hypothesis that adolescents randomized to the iDECIDE curriculum will have improved substance use outcomes (i.e., knowledge, attitudes, and behavior) compared to adolescents in a waitlist control group. The outcomes of this study will measure knowledge of drug effects and brain development, perceptions of harm from substance use, willingness to quit or reduce use, and substance use behavior.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Nov 2023

open study

VERIFY will validate biomarkers of upper extremity (UE) motor outcome in the acute ischemic stroke window for immediate use in clinical trials, and explore these biomarkers in acute intracerebral hemorrhage. VERIFY will create the first multicenter, large-scale, prospective dataset of clinical, transmagnetic stimulation (TMS), and MRI measures in the acute stroke time window.

Type: Observational

Start Date: Jun 2022

open study

The Myelin Disorders Biorepository Project (MDBP) seeks to collect and analyze clinical data and biological samples from leukodystrophy patients worldwide to support ongoing and future research projects. The MDBP is one of the world's largest leukodystrophy biorepositories, having enrolled nearly 2,000 affected individuals since it was launched over a decade ago. Researchers working in the biorepository hope to use these materials to uncover new genetic etiologies for various leukodystrophies, develop biomarkers for use in future clinical trials, and better understand the natural history of these disorders. The knowledge gained from these efforts may help improve the diagnostic tools and treatment options available to patients in the future.

Type: Observational [Patient Registry]

Start Date: Dec 2016

open study

Per Health Authorities guidelines for gene therapy medicinal products that utilize integrating vectors (e.g. lentiviral vectors), long term safety and efficacy follow up of treated patients is required. The purpose of this study is to monitor all patients exposed to CAR-T therapied for 15 years following their last CAR-T (e.g. CTL019) infusion to assess the risk of delayed adverse events (AEs), monitor for replication competent lentivirus (RCL) and assess long-term efficacy, including vector persistence.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Nov 2015

open study