Boston University - Clinical & Translational Science Institute

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of rapcabtagene autoleucel (administered once following lymphodepletion) versus Standard of Care (SOC) in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) with active, refractory lupus nephritis (LN).

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Sep 2024

open study

REACT-AF is a multicenter prospective, randomized, open-label, blinded endpoint (PROBE design), controlled trial comparing the current Standard Of Care (SOC) of continuous Direct Oral Anticoagulation (DOAC) use versus time-delimited (1 month) DOAC guided by an AF-sensing Smart Watch (AFSW) in participants with a history of paroxysmal or persistent Atrial Fibrillation (AF) and low-to-moderate stroke risk.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jul 2023

open study

The treatment of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) in an accessible manner represents an unmet need for those with cardiovascular disease (CVD), given that patients with CVD experience numerous barriers for in-person treatment engagement. The research plan for the proposed pilot project will entail: (1) open study of the acceptability of the digital intervention (N=5), followed by (2) recruitment and randomization of 90 individuals with a history of acute CVD events and clinical levels of GAD symptoms to dCBT or a waitlist (Control) condition, using a 1.5:1 allocation (dCBT:Control).

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Feb 2022

open study

This phase III trial compares less intense hormone therapy and radiation therapy to usual hormone therapy and radiation therapy in treating patients with high risk prostate cancer and low gene risk score. This trial also compares more intense hormone therapy and radiation therapy to usual hormone therapy and radiation therapy in patients with high risk prostate cancer and high gene risk score. Apalutamide may help fight prostate cancer by blocking the use of androgen by the tumor cells. Radiation therapy uses high energy rays to kill tumor cells and shrink tumors. Giving a shorter hormone therapy treatment may work the same at controlling prostate cancer compared to the usual 24 month hormone therapy treatment in patients with low gene risk score. Adding apalutamide to the usual treatment may increase the length of time without prostate cancer spreading as compared to the usual treatment in patients with high gene risk score.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jan 2021

open study

Since its launch in 2004, the overarching aim of the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) Study has been to validate biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease (AD) clinical trials. ADNI4 continues the previously funded ADNI1, ADNI-GO, ADNI2, and ADNI3 studies that have combined public/private collaborations between academia and industry to determine the relationships between the clinical, cognitive, imaging, genetic and biochemical biomarker characteristics of the entire spectrum of AD.

Type: Observational

Start Date: Jun 2023

open study

In this study, researchers will learn more about a study drug called litifilimab (BIIB059) in participants with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The study will focus on participants who have active disease and are already taking standard of care medications. These may include antimalarials, steroids, and immunosuppressants. The main objective of the study is to learn about the effect litifilimab has on lowering the activity of the disease. The main question researchers want to answer is: - How many participants have an improvement in their symptoms after 52 weeks of treatment? Researchers will answer this and other questions by measuring the symptoms of SLE over time using a variety of scoring tools. These include the SLE Responder Index (SRI), the Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index-2000 (SLEDAI-2K), and the Patient Global Assessment - Visual Analog Scale (PGA-VAS). Researchers will also learn more about the safety of litifilimab. They will study how participants' immune systems respond to litifilimab. Additionally, they will measure the effect litifilimab and SLE have on the quality of life of participants using a group of questionnaires. The study will be done as follows: - After screening, participants will be randomized to receive either a high or low dose of litifilimab, or placebo. A placebo looks like the study drug but contains no real medicine. - All participants will receive either litifilimab or placebo as injections under the skin once every 4 weeks. The treatment period will last 52 weeks. Participants will continue to take their standard of care medications. - Neither the researchers nor the participants will know if the participants are receiving litifilimab or placebo. - There will be a follow-up safety period that lasts up to 24 weeks. - In total, participants will have up to 22 study visits. The total study duration for participants will be up to 80 weeks.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jul 2021

open study

Purpose: About 6.4% of the U.S. population suffers from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Trauma-focused psychotherapies are generally effective in PTSD, but responses vary greatly across individuals and PTSD subpopulations. Neurobiological factors impacted by life experiences, stress, and genetics can affect treatment responses. These factors can alter brain capacities needed to reprocess traumatic memories prevent them from triggering intensely distressing, disruptive, out-of-place responses. For example, during psychotherapy for PTSD, trauma memory activation engages two competing brain processes that affect recovery: "extinction" versus "reconsolidation" of trauma-related emotional, physiological, and behavioral responses. This study tests whether a single intravenous (IV) dose of allopregnanolone (Allo) compared to placebo (which is non-active): 1. promotes consolidation of extinction learning (sub-study 1) or 2. blocks reconsolidation physiological responses triggered by aversive memories (sub-study 2). The study also tests whether Allo compared to placebo affects retention of non-aversive memories.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Mar 2022

open study

The COSMID (Comparison of Surgery and Medicine on the Impact of Diverticulitis) trial is a pragmatic, patient-level randomized superiority trial of elective colectomy vs. best medical management for patients with quality of life (QoL) limiting diverticular disease. A parallel observational cohort will include those who are disinclined to have their treatment choice randomized, but are willing to contribute information about their outcomes. The goal of the COSMID trial is to answer the question: For patients with QoL-limiting diverticular disease, is elective colectomy more effective than best medical management? The hypothesis being tested in the COSMID trial is that patient-reported outcomes (PROs) among patients in the surgery arm will be superior to those in the best medical management arm.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Oct 2019

open study

Although multiple treatments for OCD exist, slow symptom decrease, high remission, and significant side effects for some OCD patients limit their efficacy. More research into the precise neural mechanisms and linked cognitive functions in OCD is also necessary. To address both concerns, this study by Dr. Reinhart and his team will test a new, non-invasive, and well-tolerated neuromodulation method for reducing OCD symptoms, based on reward-related rhythms of the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC; a brain region responsible for reward, decision making and other crucial functions that is affected by OCD). This proposal is based on highly encouraging preliminary data in both subsyndromal and treatment-resistant populations that shows rapid reductions in OCD behaviors that last at least 1-3 months. Using high-definition transcranial alternating current stimulation (HD-tACS) guided by EEG brain wave recordings, the study will test whether repetitive modulation of relevant rhythm activity in the OFC can lead to rapid (within five days) and sustainable (up to three months) OCD symptom reduction. This research aims to increase knowledge of OCD and development of effective treatment with minimal side effects.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jul 2024

open study

The purpose of this study is to determine whether a sensor device called an Automatic Ingestion Monitor (AIM) that is worn on eyeglasses can be used with a smartphone to change eating behavior. Participants will wear the device for one week of no-intervention observation. They will then test behavioral interventions focused on eating for two weeks. The researchers hypothesize that messages sent to a smartphone that are based on information from the AIM can reduce the amount of food that is eaten and slow eating.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Aug 2024

open study

The purpose of this clinical trial is to learn about the safety, extent of the side effects, and immune responses of the study vaccine (called variant-adapted BNT162b2 RNA-based vaccine) in healthy children. The trial is divided into 5 individual studies or substudies based on age group and prior history of COVID-19 vaccinations. All participants in each of the 5 sub-studies will receive study vaccine as a shot depending on what group they are in. - Substudy A design: Phase 1 includes participants 6 months through less than 4 years 3 months of age who have not received a previous coronavirus vaccination (COVID-19 vaccine naïve) and will receive 3 doses of study vaccine as their initial series, followed by a fourth dose of study vaccine. Phase 2/3 includes participants 6 months through less than 5 years of age who have not received a previous coronavirus vaccination (COVID-19 vaccine naive) and will receive 1, 2, or 3 doses of study vaccine, depending on what group they are in. - Substudy B design: includes participants 6 months through less than 5 years of age who have either received 2 or 3 prior doses of BNT162b2 and will receive study vaccine as their third or fourth dose. - Substudy C design: Phase 1 includes participants 6 months through less than 5 years of age who have received 3 prior doses of BNT162b2 and will receive study vaccine as their fourth dose. - Substudy D design: includes participants 5 through less than12 years of age who have received 2 or 3 prior doses of BNT162b2 and will receive study vaccine as their third or fourth dose. - Substudy E design: includes participants 2 through less than 12 years of age who have not received a previous coronavirus vaccination (COVID-19 vaccine naive) and will receive a single dose of study vaccine.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Sep 2022

open study

Anxiety-, obsessive-compulsive and trauma- and stressor-related disorders reflect a significant public health problem. This study is designed to evaluate the predictive power of a novel biomarker based on a CO2 challenge, thus addressing the central question "can this easy-to-administer assay aid clinicians in deciding whether or not to initiate exposure-based therapy?"

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Nov 2022

open study

This is a longitudinal study with regular quantitative assessments of all participants every six months for 3 years. The quantitative portion of the study will recruit couples, consisting of individuals over the age of 65 who are in a committed relationship. Both members of the couple must be willing to participate at baseline. The assessment is in two parts. In the first part, each member of the couple will be asked the following: demographic information, mental health history, self-reported physical and emotional health, measures of emotional and mental health, personality, relationship and attachment style, social support and self-efficacy. Then each member of the study couple will be asked a series of questions to determine whether they consider themselves a caregiver. If they do, individuals will be asked to respond to additional caregiver questionnaires. Follow-ups will occur every six months for the study couples for a total of three years from the baseline visit. Each visit, the entire assessment except for demographic questions, will be re-administered to each individual in the couple. At the end of each questionnaire battery, individuals will be screened for cognitive impairment and those who are in the middle to advanced stages of dementia will no longer participate. Recruitment will end when 600 individuals (300 couples,150 couples at each site) are enrolled in the longitudinal portion of the study. All study visits will be conducted virtually via Zoom or WebEx video conferencing. Analyses will be conducted to determine the association between changes in dyadic relationship and changes in mental health and cognitive outcomes, to elucidate how relationship characteristics impact health and well-being as perceived by each member of the dyad.

Type: Observational

Start Date: Apr 2021

open study

The goal of this clinical study is to learn about the safety and efficacy of switching to once weekly tablet of islatravir/lenacapavir (ISL/LEN) regimen versus continuing standard treatment of bictegravir/emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide (B/F/TAF) in people with human immunodeficiency virus (PWH) who are virologically suppressed (HIV-1 RNA levels < 50 copies/mL) on B/F/TAF for ≥ 6 months prior to screening. The primary objective is to evaluate the efficacy of switching to oral weekly ISL/LEN tablet regimen versus continuing B/F/TAF in virologically suppressed PWH at Week 48.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Oct 2024

open study

This Phase III, multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled, treat-through study will evaluate the efficacy and safety of RO7790121 compared with placebo in participants with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis (UC).

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Sep 2024

open study

The overarching goal of the proposed research is to prepare the clinical pharmacist intervention for sustainable implementation and dissemination. Because the effectiveness of the intervention has already been demonstrated in a NIH Stage Model IV trial, the investigators propose an Effectiveness-Implementation Type 3 Hybrid design, in which the primary focus is on testing different implementation methods, while secondarily observing clinical effects. The investigators' overarching hypothesis is to identify the most impactful elements of a behavioral theory-informed recruitment approach, which can be replicable across clinical settings. Accordingly, the investigators propose to perform testing of a behaviorally-informed recruitment approaches in a community-based setting. Like the previous Tele-Pharmacy Intervention to Improve Treatment Adherence (STIC2IT) trial (NCT02512276), participants will be English or Spanish speaking adults ≥18 years of age identified through the electronic health record (EHR) as having poor disease control and/or poor medication adherence for diabetes. The primary care physicians of eligible patients identified through the EHR will be contacted to opt-out any patients they wish not to be included. Patients will then be randomized to each of the following conditions, such that there will be 8 total arms: (1) inclusion of a mailer primer (yes/no), (2) the most successful recruitment letter from the preliminary study using prospect theory (versus the control letter), and (3) intensity of the intervention outreach (4 calls vs. 2 calls). The investigators plan to enroll 584 participants who meet the inclusion criteria, with 73 patients per each of the 8 study arms. Patients across all arms who agree to be scheduled will receive an appointment with one of the clinical pharmacists within the established BMC pharmacist program. The primary outcome will be completion of a clinical pharmacist appointment within 8 weeks after randomization. Key secondary outcomes will include scheduled visit rates, no-show rates for scheduled appointments, medication adherence over the 3-month follow-up, and clinical outcomes, including HbA1c levels measured using EHR data in the 3 months after randomization. The medication adherence and clinical outcomes will be used for the Aim 2 evaluation.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Mar 2025

open study

This study aims to investigate toripalimab with chemotherapy in participants with nasopharyngeal cancer.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Nov 2024

open study

The goal of this clinical trial is to test efficacy of different investigational products (IPs) compared with placebo on the change from baseline to the end of the treatment period at Week 52 in lung capacity in participants with Interstitial Lung Disease Secondary to Systemic Sclerosis.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Apr 2024

open study

Immunoglobulin light chain (AL) amyloidosis is the most common form of systemic amyloidosis. AL amyloidosis has many root causes and is characterized by the overproduction of AL that are secreted by clonal bone marrow plasma cells. This is a study to determine adverse events and change in disease activity in adult participants with AL amyloidosis treated with ABBV-383. Etentamig (ABBV-383) is an investigational drug being developed for the treatment of AL amyloidosis. This study in broken into 2 parts (dose escalation and safety expansion) with 5 arms. During dose escalation (arms 1-3) participants will receive 1 of 3 doses of ABBV-383 to determine the part 2 doses. After completion of the dose escalation portion of the study, the safety expansion (part 2) portion of the study will begin. Two arms (arm 4-5) will begin and participants will receive 1 of 2 doses as determined during the dose escalation portion (part 1). Around 76 adult participants with relapsed/refractory AL amyloidosis will be enrolled at approximately 20 sites across the world. Participants will receive Etentamig (ABBV-383) as an infusion into the vein for up to approximately 2 year study duration. There may be higher treatment burden for participants in this trial compared to their standard of care. Participants will attend regular visits during the study at a hospital or clinic. The effect of the treatment will be checked by medical assessments, blood tests, checking for side effects and questionnaires.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Apr 2024

open study

The purpose of this study is to compare the efficacy and safety of glofitamab in combination with polatuzumab vedotin plus rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, and prednisone (Pola-R-CHP) vs Pola-R-CHP in participants with previously untreated CD20-positive large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL).

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Sep 2023

open study

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of adjuvant autogene cevumeran plus atezolizumab and modified leucovorin, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), irinotecan, and oxaliplatin (mFOLFIRINOX) versus mFOLFIRINOX alone in participants with resected pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) who have not received prior systemic anti-cancer treatment for PDAC and have no evidence of disease after surgery.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Oct 2023

open study

The goal of this clinical trial is to compare the number of catheter-free days (CFD) and the rate and severity of any dialysis access-related infections between the ATEV and AVF groups over 12 months in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) needing hemodialysis (HD). Participants will be stratified by location of the vascular access (forearm versus upper arm) and by type of AVF creation procedure planned by the surgeon at randomization (1-stage AVF versus 2-stage AVF). The comparator is an upper extremity arterio-venous fistula (AVF) for HD access surgically created per the institution's Standard of Care (SoC).

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Sep 2023

open study

This project will evaluate a telemedicine-delivered, Unified Protocol for Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (UP-CBT) enhanced with continuous glucose monitor (CGM) review to target anxiety and depressive symptoms and glycemic control in adults with type 1 diabetes.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Mar 2023

open study

The overarching goal of this project is to leverage health information technology (HIT) to integrate available digital information on social needs to improve care for racial and ethnic minorities and socially disadvantaged populations with chronic diseases. In the previous phases of this project the investigators developed a social risk score to identify social needs among medically under-served patients with special emphasis on application among African American patients with low income and chronic diseases who face social determinants, risk factors, and needs (SDRN) challenges. The investigators also developed a clinical decision support (CDS) tool to present the social risk score to clinical providers and sought feedback from different users on the face and content validity of the CDS tool. In the current project the investigators will run a randomized clinical trial (RCT) study to pilot test the new risk score and CDS tool in selected primary care clinics at Johns Hopkins Health System (JHHS) and in collaboration with selected community-based organizations (CBOs). This system will help identify, manage, and refer patients with both high levels of disease burden and modifiable SDRN challenges.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Apr 2023

open study

Brief Summary: Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a significant and costly public health problem that affects one-third of the U.S. population in their lifetime. Specifically, unhealthy alcohol use is common among persons living with HIV (PLWH) and increases the risk of developing negative outcomes. Antiretroviral therapy (ART) has shown increasing life expectancy and decreased HIV-related deaths, leading to a growing older adult HIV population. Yet, HIV accelerates the aging process and increases the risk for numerous chronic health conditions that compromise physical and mental health functioning and quality of life. Thus, PLWH continue to have shorter life expectancies relative to the general population and these multimorbidities explain this increased risk. In this context, unhealthy alcohol use among PLWH can further increase the risk for negative outcomes. Physical activity (PA) interventions can be used as an effective way to address unhealthy alcohol use among PLWH. Previous PA interventions have shown low generalizability and high loss to follow-up. Therefore, an intervention that is home-based, including lifestyle physical activity (LPA) with mobile health-delivered components is designed following the physical activity (PA) paradigm. Participants in this randomized controlled trial will be assigned to one of two study arms -- either the LPA or Fitbit Only intervention - both lasting 12-weeks. Both study arms will utilize a Fitbit to track daily step counts. In addition to utilizing a Fitbit, the LPA arm will receive 7 LPA sessions with a trained interventionist to assist in adding LPA to the participant's routine. The Fitbit only arm will receive only brief check-in phone calls and only related to assisting with any Fitbit functioning issues. Follow-up assessments will take place at 3 and 6 months.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Feb 2023

open study