Mass General - Division of Clinical Research

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

This research aims to improve the management of exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI), a condition that can develop after pancreatitis, a painful inflammation of the pancreas. EPI occurs when the pancreas does not produce enough enzymes to help the body properly digest food. While pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT) is commonly used to manage EPI symptoms, it can be challenging for people who rely on feeding tubes. RELiZORB, could help these patients by simplifying the delivery of the enzymes they need. However, RELiZORB has only been studied in people with EPI caused by cystic fibrosis, so its effectiveness in pancreatitis patients remains unknown. This study aims to determine whether RELiZORB is effective for individuals requiring feeding tube support after pancreatitis.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Mar 2025

open study

The platform protocol is designed to be flexible so that it is suitable for a range of study settings and intervention types. Therefore, the platform protocol provides a general protocol structure that can be shared by multiple interventions and allows comparative analysis across the interventions. For example, objectives, measures, and endpoints are generalized in the platform protocol, but intervention-specific features are detailed in separate appendices. This platform protocol is a prospective, multi-center, multi-arm, randomized controlled platform trial evaluating potential interventions for PASC-mediated sleep disturbances. The hypothesis is that symptoms of sleep and circadian disorders that emerge in patients with PASC can be improved by phenotype-targeted interventions. Specific sleep and circadian disorders addressed in this protocol include sleep-related daytime impairment (referred to as hypersomnia) and complex PASC-related sleep disturbance (reflecting symptoms of insomnia and sleep-wake rhythm disturbance).

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jul 2024

open study

This Phase 2 clinical trial will study RVP-001, a new manganese-based MRI contrast agent, in people who are known to have gadolinium-enhancing central nervous system (CNS) lesions, for example brain tumors or multiple sclerosis. The goal of this study is to assess safety, efficacy, and pharmacokinetics of RVP-001 at three dose levels. The study will also compare RVP-001 imaging to gadolinium-based contrast agent (GBCA) imaging. A single dose of RVP-001 will be administered to each subject. Subjects will have known gadolinium-enhancing CNS lesions and will have a gadolinium-based contrast agent-enhanced MRI of the brain 2-14 days before receiving RVP-001 with imaging. The ultimate goal of this research program is development of a gadolinium-free alternative to current general purpose MRI contrast agents.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Aug 2024

open study

The objective of this randomized, surgically controlled, double-blinded, Phase 2 study is to evaluate the safety and efficacy of AAV2-GDNF delivered to the putamen in subjects with moderate Parkinson's Disease.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jun 2024

open study

NMOSDCopilot is a digital tool developed for the self-assessment of Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder symptoms that impact patients' functioning and quality of life. It has been co-designed with the help of patient advocacy groups, NMOSD patients and medical experts. It includes a smartphone-based application for patients, connected to a web portal developed for healthcare professionals (HCSPs). The patient application is composed of vision, walking, cognition, and dexterity e-active tests inspired by clinical standards, as well as e-questionnaires. The HCP web portal is a desktop-based software that allows HCPs to access the results generated via the patient application and facilitates remote monitoring of patients' symptoms. The objectives of this study are to validate the accuracy, reliability and reproducibility of the unsupervised at-home self-assessment of symptoms on the patient's smartphone versus the standard in-clinic testing, as well as to evaluate the safety of use of the tool, its usability, and satisfaction towards the patient application among NMOSD patients, and the HCP web dashboard among HCPs.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Nov 2023

open study

The purpose of this Clinical Research Collaboration is to investigate the prognostic implications of pulmonary hemodynamics during exercise based on a large scale multi-centre approach by using retrospective and prospective analysis of hemodynamic data.

Type: Observational [Patient Registry]

Start Date: Dec 2018

open study

This research trial studies biomarkers in tumor tissue samples from patients with newly diagnosed neuroblastoma or ganglioneuroblastoma. Studying samples of tumor tissue from patients with cancer in the laboratory may help doctors identify and learn more about biomarkers related to cancer.

Type: Observational

Start Date: Nov 2000

open study

The investigators aim to conduct an open pilot trial to determine the initial feasibility of a self-directed writing-based intervention in individuals with chronic musculoskeletal pain and elevated pain catastrophizing. The investigators will assess the feasibility of recruitment, acceptability of the treatment, credibility and participant satisfaction, treatment adherence, and feasibility of assessments following pre-specified benchmarks.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Oct 2025

open study

The FORWARD CAD IDE Study is a Prospective, Multicenter, Single-Arm, Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) Study conducted to assess the safety and effectiveness of the Shockwave Intravascular Lithotripsy (IVL) System with the Javelin Coronary IVL Catheter for the treatment of calcified, stenotic de novo coronary artery lesions prior to stenting.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Apr 2025

open study

The purpose of this study is to determine if measurements of active collagen deposition using [68Ga]CBP8 positron emission tomography (PET) and tissue injury using dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) can predict an individual patient's pace of disease progression in non-idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis interstitial lung disease (non-IPF ILD) and identify which individuals will develop progressive pulmonary fibrosis.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jan 2025

open study

The goal of this observational prospective study is to determine the health impact of parenthood on United States (US) people with CF in the era of CF transmembrane regulator protein (CFTR) modulators. The investigators will collect physical and mental health data to comprehensively evaluate the impact of parenthood in CF with widespread highly effective CFTR modulator use. The main hypotheses this study aims to examine are: H1: Parents with CF and moderate-to-severe depression have more rapid change in ppFEV1 (percent predicted forced expiratory volume in one second) versus those with mild or no depression. H2: Parents with CF who have more parental responsibility and/or stress have more rapid ppFEV1 (percent predicted forced expiratory volume in one second) change than those with less responsibility/stress H3: Parents using CFTR modulators have decreased ppFEV1 (percent predicted forced expiratory volume in one second) change versus those not using CFTR modulators Participants will complete quarterly surveys during the first year of parenthood and biannual surveys, thereafter, using the computer-based survey system on an iPad protected for infection control or via personal device or computer via emailed survey link.

Type: Observational [Patient Registry]

Start Date: May 2024

open study

The goal of this research study is to train psychotherapists to administer individualized evidence-based psychotherapies in a cancer care setting to participants with elevated levels of distress due to their illness and/or treatment. The intervention will mirror clinical care in psycho-oncology in which the therapist, collaboratively with their supervisor, will choose specific components of the following evidence-based treatments to administer based on the clinical presentation of the patient and referring problem. - Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) - Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT) - Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) - Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) - Meaning-Centered Psychotherapy (MCP) - Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) - CBT for other cancer-related physical symptoms like pain, fatigue, and nausea. Participation in this research study is expected to last about 26 weeks. It is expected that about 100 people and 15 therapists will take part in this research study.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jan 2023

open study

This study will investigate whether cannabidiol (CBD), the primary centrally and peripherally active non-intoxicating compound in the cannabis plant, exerts anti-neuroinflammatory effects in patients with chronic low back pain (cLBP) with or without mild-to-moderate depression.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jan 2022

open study

A phase 1/2 dose escalation / dose expansion study of Enzomenib (DSP-5336) in adult patients with acute leukemia.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Feb 2022

open study

Phase IV multi-center, US-centric, open-label, safety study enrolling participants with Hemophilia A or B with inhibitors, 12 years of age and older, who are either on long term prophylactic treatment (e.g., emicizumab) at risk of experiencing a breakthrough bleeding event (BE), or who are not on prophylactic treatment who may need to control a BE.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jun 2021

open study

The study investigators are interested in learning more about how drugs, that are given to children by their health care provider, act in the bodies of children and young adults in hopes to find the most safe and effective dose for children. The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the PK of understudied drugs currently being administered to children per SOC as prescribed by their treating provider.

Type: Observational

Start Date: Mar 2020

open study