Mass General - Division of Clinical Research

Older people with HIV (OPWH) are disproportionately impacted by cardiovascular disease (CVD) attributable to behavioral risk factors, and chronic HIV immune dysregulation resulting inflammation. Systemic inflammation is exacerbated by psychological distress via activating the immune response and driving pro-inflammatory CVD risk behaviors. There is promising evidence to suggest that mindfulness could be an effective intervention to reduce psychological distress and support behaviorally- and inflammatory-mediated CVD risk reduction. This project aims to refine and synthesize mindfulness and behavior change content from evidence-based protocols (mindfulness-based stress reduction and diabetes prevention program) to develop and pilot test a new text message-enhanced intervention called "One Mind One Heart" (OM-OH) using feedback from semi-structured interviews with OPWH in psychological distress (N=20), and my multidisciplinary mentorship team (Aim 1). An open pilot (N=5) with exit interviews and pre-post self-report assessments, will inform the initial acceptability of OM-OH and further refine OM-OH as needed (Aim 2). Finally, a pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT; N=50) will be conducted to a.) evaluate benchmarks of feasibility and acceptability of study methods and refined OM-OH compared to enhanced usual care, and b.) investigate potential for effects on psychological distress, inflammation, and behavioral CVD risk (Aim 3). Findings will provide the foundation for an R01 application to conduct an efficacy trial of OM-OH to reduce inflammatory-mediated CVD risk among OPWH.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jul 2025

open study

The primary objective of this research is to collect pilot data that demonstrates that proposed neural, psychophysiological and subjective markers measured before, during, and after treatment change over the course of Prolonged Exposure therapy (PE) for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The aims of the study are to: (1) examine theoretically informed mechanisms as pretreatment predictors of PE treatment efficacy, (2) characterize how neural, psychophysiological, and subjective markers measured before, during, and after treatment change over the course of PE, and (3) examine proposed mechanisms of change as measures of PE treatment efficacy. This is a longitudinal study of predictors of exposure therapy efficacy that will be conducted within the context of a standard 10 session PE treatment trial, with independent multimodal assessment batteries administered at pre-treatment, mid-treatment, post-treatment, and at 1-month follow-up. This data will be used to support a future NIMH and/or VA grant submission.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Apr 2023

open study

The investigators aim to prospectively test the comparative effectiveness of His or Left bundle branch pacing in relation to patient centered outcomes (quality of life, physical activity, heart failure hospitalization, mortality) and comparative safety in relation to device-related complications and re-interventions (e.g., lead dislodgement, infection) relative to standard of care biventricular pacing in patients with heart failure due to left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LVEF≤50%) and with either a wide QRS (≥130 ms) or with/anticipated >40% pacing who are already receiving current standard heart failure pharmacological therapy.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Sep 2023

open study

The primary aim is to test whether abatacept, as compared to placebo, is associated with a reduction in major adverse cardiac events (MACE) among participants hospitalized with myocarditis secondary to an immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI). The primary outcome, MACE, is a composite of first occurrence of cardiovascular death, non-fatal sudden cardiac arrest, cardiogenic shock, significant ventricular arrythmias, significant bradyarrythmias, or incident heart failure.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jul 2022

open study

This is a prospective, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, multi-center, Phase 3 study of GLSI-100 immunotherapy in HLA-A*02 positive and HER2/neu positive subjects who are at high risk for disease recurrence and have completed both neoadjuvant and postoperative adjuvant standard of care therapy. Treatment consists of 6 intradermal injections, Primary Immunization Series (PIS), over the first 6 months of treatment and 5 booster intradermal injections spaced 6 months apart. A third open-label arm will explore GLSI-100 immunotherapy in non-HLA-A*02 positive and HER2/neu positive subjects.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Aug 2022

open study

This is an open-label, FIH study designed to evaluate the maximum tolerated dose, recommended Phase 2 dose, safety, tolerability, PK, pharmacodynamics, and preliminary antineoplastic activity of RLY-2608, in advanced solid tumor patients with a Phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate-3 kinase, catalytic subunit alpha (PIK3CA) mutation in blood and/or tumor per local assessment. The study will evaluate RLY-2608 as a single agent for patients with unresectable or metastatic solid tumors. It will also evaluate RLY-2608 in combination RLY-2608 + fulvestrant and in triple combination RLY-2608 + fulvestrant + CDK4/6 inhibitor (palbociclib or ribociclib) or CDK4 inhibitor (PF-07220060) for patients with HR+ HER2- locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer. The RLY-2608 single agent arm, RLY-2608 + fulvestrant combination arm, and triple combination arms will have 2 parts: a dose escalation (Part 1) and a dose expansion (Part 2).

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Dec 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 develop an ethical approach to developing and deploying novel neurotechnologies to aid in the detection of consciousness and prediction of recovery after brain injury.

Type: Observational

Start Date: Feb 2022

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

This study is being conducted to decrease the rate of surgical wound complications. The investigators are studying the effects that caloric restriction has on decreasing the rate of surgical wound complications.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jun 2016

open study

The investigators are doing this research to test whether parents of children ages 2-7 can better manage their child's anxiety by completing a brief, online, self-guided parent education program. One way to provide anxiety management skills to more children, and to potentially prevent worsening outcomes, is to offer online and self-guided educational programs that parents can complete without a clinician. This randomized trial will evaluate the effects of two brief, online, self-guided parent education programs designed to improve parents' understanding of anxiety and teach parents way to help their children cope with anxiety. Parents will be randomly assigned to one of the three programs. The main aim of the study is to examine whether the parent programs, compared to an educational control reduce parental accommodation of anxiety across a 1-, 4-, and 8-month follow-up period. As a secondary aim, the investigators will explore whether the parent programs reduce children's anxiety symptoms over the 8-month follow-up period. Results will inform the development of a scalable, low-cost model for promoting access to evidence-based treatment to young children.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Sep 2025

open study

The PRIMARY trial (NCT05051033), which compares mitral valve repair (MVr) to transcatheter-edge-to-edge-repair (TEER), offers a platform for conducting mechanistic studies to develop early insights into the pathophysiological processes by which mitral valve prolapse (MVP) can impact left ventricular (LV) myocardial structure and function, and, thereby, predispose to arrhythmias and sudden death. Such insights are key to identifying interventions to reduce the long-term sequelae of heart failure (HF) and arrhythmias, as well as delineate optimal therapeutic approaches for different patient sub-groups.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Oct 2023

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 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

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

This is a first-in-human, open-label, multicenter, Phase 1 study to evaluate the safety, tolerability and preliminary efficacy of IPH4502 and to determine the recommended Phase 2 dose (RP2D) in advanced solid tumors that are known to express Nectin-4

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jan 2025

open study

The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the safety and efficacy of Larazotide (AT1001) versus placebo in children and adults 7 to ≤50 years of age who present with symptoms of Long COVID in the presence of SARS-CoV-2 antigenemia. AT1001 (n=100) or placebo (n=50) will be administered orally four times a day (QID) for 21 days.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: May 2023

open study

This research study is evaluating a program that entails a healthcare at home intervention for people with advanced liver disease.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jul 2025

open study

Adcendo ApS is conducting a phase 1 study of an investigational drug called ADCE-T02 (previously known as AMT-754), a tissue factor targeted antibody-drug conjugate which may be used in the future as a possible treatment for advanced solid tumors. The main purpose of the study is to determine the Maximum Tolerated Dose (MTD), the recommended dose and the safety and tolerability of ADCE-T02 when given as a single therapy over a range of different dose levels.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Nov 2024

open study

The Comprehensive HHT Outcomes Registry of the United States (CHORUS) is an observational registry of patients diagnosed with Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia (HHT). The purpose of this study is to better understand HHT, the symptoms and complications it causes, and the impact the disease has on people's lives. The investigators will collect long-term information about the participant, allowing us to understand how the disease changes over time, and what factors can influence those changes. Ultimately, this should help improve treatments for the disease. Another important goal of the study is to provide a way to contact people to participate in future clinical trials and other research. The registry will be a centralized resource for recruitment for clinical trials. People in the registry will not be obligated to join any of these additional studies, but if interested, can agree to be contacted if they may be eligible for a study. Participants will: - Be asked to provide permission to collect information from their medical records, including things like demographic information, diagnosis information, family history, test results, treatment information, symptoms, complications, lifestyle and other relevant medical information. - Be asked study-related questions by phone or at a clinic visit. - Be asked study-related questions every year after enrollment for up to 10 years or until the study ends. A member of the study team will communicate with participants by phone or at clinic visits to collect information regarding any changes to their health over the previous year/s including new test results, treatment information, symptoms, and complications from HHT.

Type: Observational [Patient Registry]

Start Date: Nov 2023

open study

This study is designed to characterize the safety, tolerability, and anti-tumor activity of MDX2001 in patients with advanced solid tumors.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jun 2024

open study

The goal of this clinical trial is to promote lung cancer screening (LCS) uptake among Hispanic current and former smokers. The main questions it aims to answer are: - What barriers do current and former Hispanic smokers face in the identification and documentation of their smoking status? - How can digital delivery of an educational video promote LCS uptake among current and former Hispanic smokers? Participants will receive an educational video about lung cancer screening and complete brief, self-reported surveys afterwards.

Type: Observational

Start Date: Feb 2023

open study

The goal of this observational study is to evaluate the role of blood pressure (BPV) variability in patients suffering from acute ischemic stroke. The main questions it aims to answer are: 1. To determine the association of BPV with functional/cognitive outcome after ischemic stroke. 2. To determine a pathophysiologic mechanism of BPV's deleterious effect on functional outcome. 3. To evaluate potential treatment targets to pharmacologically reduce BPV after ischemic stroke.

Type: Observational

Start Date: Jul 2024

open study

The purpose of the present investigation is to test the efficacy of a brief (6 sessions) dyadic (patient and caregiver together) intervention to prevent chronic emotional distress in at risk dyads admitted to a Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit with an acute brain injury. Through this study, we seek to solve the unmet need of preventing chronic emotional distress in Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit (NICU) dyads through a feasible, acceptable and credible program, and ideally improve the recovery trajectory and dyads' overall quality of life.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Dec 2021

open study

The purpose of the Pancreatic Cancer Early Detection (PRECEDE) Consortium is to conduct research on multiple aspects of early detection and prevention of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) by establishing a multisite cohort of individuals with family history of PDAC and/or individuals carrying pathogenic/likely pathogenic germline variants (PGVs) in genes linked to PDAC risk for longitudinal follow up.

Type: Observational

Start Date: Sep 2020

open study