Mass General - Division of Clinical Research

The goal of this observational study is to evaluate the Thoraflex Hybrid device alone and in combination with the RelayPro NBS stent-graft in the treatment of aortic disease affecting the aortic arch and descending aorta with or without involvement of the ascending aorta. Patients who undergo treatment with the Thoraflex Hybrid device with or without extension with a RelayPro NBS stent-graft will be eligible for enrolment and study activities and follow-up regime will follow standard care at each participating site. Participant involvement in the study will last for a total of 10 years from the point at which the Thoraflex Hybrid device is placed.

Type: Observational

Start Date: Mar 2023

open study

This study will test the safety, including side effects, and determine the characteristics of a drug called Rina-S in participants with solid tumors. Participants will have solid tumor cancer that has spread through the body (metastatic) or cannot be removed with surgery (unresectable).

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Dec 2022

open study

The primary goal of this study is to assess the safety and tolerability of mRNA-4359 administered alone and in combination with pembrolizumab or ipilimumab and nivolumab.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Sep 2022

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

This study is referred to as the "umbrella master protocol" for pembrolizumab (MK-3475) in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This pembrolizumab NSCLC umbrella master protocol uses a platform design and consists of this master screening study and additional substudies. Each substudy will enroll a different population of NSCLC participants.

Type: Observational

Start Date: Dec 2019

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

This research study is a Phase I clinical trial. Phase I clinical trials test the safety of an investigational intervention. Phase I studies also try to define the appropriate dose of the investigational therapy to use for further studies. "Investigational" means that the intervention is still being studied and that research doctors are trying to find out more about it. Retroperitoneal sarcomas are soft tissue tumors located at the far back of the abdomen. Typically, patients with retroperitoneal sarcomas either have surgery for the removal of their tumors alone, or have their tumors removed, followed by standard radiation therapy, or have pre-operative radiation followed by surgery. When conventional radiation therapy is delivered after surgery, it can damage normal tissue. In this study, you will undergo proton beam radiation therapy or IMRT before undergoing surgery for the removal of your tumor. Proton radiation and IMRT are FDA approved radiation delivery systems. Protons are tiny particles with positive charge that can be controlled to travel a certain distance and stop inside the body. In theory, this allows better control of where the radiation dose is delivered as compared to photons. Since proton radiation is more targeted, it may help to reduce unwanted side effects from radiation. In this study, a standard dose of radiation will be given to the majority of the tumor, while a simultaneously integrated boost of additional radiation will be given to certain areas of the tumor identified as higher risk. This means that a higher radiation dose will be given to the higher risk areas of the tumor. The purpose of this study is to determine the highest dose of radiation therapy with protons or IMRT that can be delivered safely in patients with retroperitoneal sarcomas and the effectiveness of proton beam radiation therapy as an intervention for patients with retroperitoneal sarcomas.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Dec 2012

open study

The goal of this clinical trial is to pilot a randomized controlled trial comparing an adaptation of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy to the health enhancement program for chronic pain and depression. The main questions it aims to answer in a later fully powered randomized controlled trial are: - Is an adaptation of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for older Black adults able to improve quality of life? - Will an adapted mindfulness based cognitive therapy reduce pain interference to a greater degree than a traditional health enhancement program?

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Sep 2025

open study

This is an open-label, single-institution study to assess the safety and the efficacy of the Sip-Tego regimen for the induction of donor-specific immunologic unresponsiveness to a renal allograft. The investigators propose to treat 6 adult subjects in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) who do not demonstrate evidence of prior sensitization.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: May 2025

open study

The complex and unclear relationship between language and executive function (EF) creates barriers to developing effective interventions for children with developmental language disorder (DLD) whose language difficulties often co-occur with impaired EF. Children and adults with typical language development (TD) facilitate their EF by using self-directed language, or verbal mediation, to guide conscious reflection and override habitual behaviors. Conversely, children with DLD do not use verbal mediation to support EF efficiently or effectively. Promising evidence suggests that language-based training can shape verbal mediation and improve EF task performance in children with TD, which makes it pertinent to determine whether verbal mediation training benefits children with DLD. Specifically, modeling interventions have been shown to promote learning of language forms without taxing the cognitive resources required for learning such as attention or working memory, which are known to be impaired among children with DLD. The long-term goal of the proposed work is to optimize intervention outcomes for children with DLD by elucidating the complex relationship between language and executive functions. The objective of this project is to determine the impact of modeling verbal mediation on shifting task performance in school-aged children with DLD. Shifting, also known as cognitive flexibility, is the ability to alternate between operations or mental sets. It is an important EF because it is the pivot point between multiple goal-directed tasks when language use is critical for guiding action. Children aged 8-10 years will complete three versions of a shifting task over three phases: pre-intervention, intervention, and post-intervention. During the intervention phase, half of the participants with DLD will be exposed to a task model with verbal mediation (training), while the other half will be exposed to a silent task model (control). The investigators will determine the effect of modeling verbal mediation on the subsequent use of verbal mediation (Aim 1) and behavioral and electrophysiological measures of shifting ability (Aim 2). Indirect measures of shifting (i.e., accuracy and reaction time) will be supplemented with an electrophysiological marker of shifting that reflects real-time cue processing. This combination of methods provides insight to changes in processing following intervention that may precede and predict subsequent changes in behaviors. Our central hypothesis is that modeling verbal mediation will facilitate more effective use of verbal mediation and improve shift cue processing in children with DLD. The project will provide a theoretical framework for the role of language in shaping goal-directed behavior and the first examination of electrophysiological change in shifting following a verbal mediation intervention. Results will have a significant impact on clinical practice by advancing knowledge about a promising language-based intervention to support EF and other goal-directed tasks.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Oct 2025

open study

Prospective, multi-center, randomized, controlled trial of the eShunt System in the treatment of patients with normal pressure hydrocephalus.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Nov 2024

open study

This is a pilot randomized controlled trial to assess the impact of a first-line treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (Cognitive Processing Therapy; CPT) versus waitlist control on mechanisms of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. Further, this study will test the hypothesis that CPT reduces CVD risk through its effects on inflammation and autonomic function and that these changes are driven by changes in stress-related neural activity (SNA)

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jul 2023

open study

The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of bilateral stimulation of the subcallosal cingulate white matter (SCCwm) using Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) as an adjunctive treatment of non-psychotic unipolar Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) in adults.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Sep 2024

open study

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of Arlocabtagene Autoleucel (BMS-986393) in participants with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Mar 2024

open study

In this study twenty-five (25) subjects with Crohn's disease scheduled for possible surgical intervention will be recruited for this study and a PET/MR scan using the collagen-binding radiotracer will be performed. The study aims to establish the performance figures of PET/MR using [68Ga]CBP8-PET for preoperative detection and differentiation of strictures with a fibrotic component in patients with Crohn's disease by using surgical and histologic findings (when available) as the standard for comparison. Furthermore, the investigators will determine the performance figures with which strictures are identified and characterized by PET/MR using [68Ga]CBP8-PET compared to each modality in isolation (PET alone or MR alone). Blood and tissue markers for fibrostenosis will be explored (either predictive or as biomarkers for fibrotic burden), using histologic and molecular testing by using surgical and histologic findings (when available) as the standard for comparison. Lastly the investigators want to determine the performance figures with which strictures are identified and characterized by PET/MR using [68Ga]CBP8-PET compared to each modality in isolation (PET alone or MR alone).

Type: Observational

Start Date: Dec 2023

open study

This clinical trial compares telephone-based physical activity coaching to self monitored physical activity for improving physical function in older adults who are undergoing surgery for lung cancer and their caregivers. Lung cancer surgery in older adults is associated with functional declines and unique challenges. Performing physical activity around the time of surgery has been shown to improve functional outcomes in patients and exercise programs delivered via telehealth may improve access and convenience for patients and minimize participant burden. Telephone-based physical activity coaching may improve physical functioning for older adults with lung cancer who are undergoing surgery.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Dec 2023

open study

This is a trial in which 350 primary lung transplant recipients will be randomized (1:1) to receive either Tocilizumab (six doses over 20 weeks) plus standard triple maintenance immunosuppression or placebo (sterile normal saline) plus standard triple maintenance immunosuppression (Tacrolimus, Mycophenolate Mofetil, corticosteroids). The primary objective is to test the hypothesis that treatment with triple maintenance immunosuppression plus Tocilizumab (TCZ) is superior to triple maintenance immunosuppression plus placebo (saline) as defined by a composite endpoint of a) CLAD, b) listed for re-transplantation, and c) death

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Feb 2024

open study

To determine the safety and effectiveness of IMPEDE-FX RapidFill to increase the percentage of subjects with shrinkage of the abdominal aortic aneurysm sac when used as an adjunct to on-label endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) stent graft treatment in trial subjects considered candidates for elective EVAR.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Apr 2024

open study

Ziftomenib is an investigational drug in development for the treatment of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with certain genetic alterations. This protocol has 3 separate arms that will investigate the benefits and risks of adding ziftomenib to standard-of-care (SOC) drug treatments in patients who have AML with certain genetic mutations. Both newly diagnosed and relapsed refractory patients with AML will be assigned to different cohorts based on specific study criteria and physician discretion. The purpose of this study is to assess the safety, tolerability, and early signs of efficacy of ziftomenib in combination with SOC drugs to treat AML.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jul 2023

open study

This is a first-in-human, Phase 1/2, open-label, dose escalation, dose expansion and combination study designed to evaluate the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and preliminary efficacy of Peluntamig (PT217) as a monotherapy and in combination with chemotherapy.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Sep 2023

open study

Randomized controlled trial of an exposure-based behavioral treatment (CBT) in adults with functional dyspepsia who meet criteria for avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) with weight loss.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Nov 2022

open study

This is a multicenter, Phase 1b/2 trial in participants with estrogen receptor positive/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 negative (ER+/HER2-) advanced/metastatic breast cancer. The phase 1b part of the trial will determine the recommended Phase 2 dose (RP2D) of elacestrant when administered in combination with alpelisib, everolimus, palbociclib, capivasertib, and ribociclib. The Phase 2 part of the trial will evaluate the efficacy and safety of the various combinations.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jan 2023

open study

This is a Phase Ib/II, open-label, multicenter, randomized umbrella study in participants with breast cancer. The study is designed with the flexibility to open new treatment arms as new treatments become available, close existing treatment arms that demonstrate minimal clinical activity or unacceptable toxicity, or modify the patient population. Cohort 1 will focus on participants with inoperable, locally advanced or metastatic, estrogen receptor-positive (ER+), HER2-negative breast cancer who had disease progression during or following treatment with a cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 inhibitor (CDK4/6i; e.g., palbociclib, ribociclib, abemaciclib) in the first- or second-line setting. Cohort 2 will focus on inoperable, locally advanced or metastatic, ER+, HER2-positive breast cancer with previous progression to standard-of-care anti-HER2 therapies, of which one was a trastuzumab-and-taxane-based systemic therapy (including in the early setting if recurrence occurred within 6 months of finishing adjuvant therapy) and one was a HER2-targeting antibody-drug conjugate (ADC; e.g., ado-trastuzumab emtansine or trastuzumab-deruxtecan) or a HER2-targeting tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI; e.g., tucatinib, lapatinib, pyrotinib or neratinib). Cohort 3 will focus on inoperable, locally advanced or metastatic, ER+, HER2-negative, PIK3CA-mutated breast cancer with resistance to adjuvant endocrine therapy.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jun 2021

open study

The study aims to develop a test for early detection of ovarian cancer using DNA from a growth involving the ovary found in a washing of the uterus (womb), and proteins found in the blood. The samples of the wash and the blood will be taken before surgery. After surgery, doctors will determine whether the participant had ovarian cancer or a benign disease of the ovaries. The tests of the washings and the blood will be examined to see how much the participants with ovarian cancer can be separated from the participants with a benign ovarian disease by the tests. Small amounts from the washing and the blood samples will be sent to four sites for analysis. Statistical analyses of these data will compare tumor DNA found in the washing of the uterus with proteins in the blood to detect cases of ovarian cancer. The primary goal is to find tests that are mostly positive for cases of ovarian cancer and mostly negative for patients with benign disease. It is hoped that if the tests work for participants with symptoms of the disease that these tests will also work when testing women who have no symptoms. A new study would be needed to see if the tests worked in this situation. If the tests work, this could lead to increasing the number of cases detected in early stage disease and decreasing the number of cases detected in late stage disease. If this change in late stage is large, it will likely reduce deaths due to ovarian cancer.

Type: Observational

Start Date: Apr 2020

open study