Boston University - Clinical & Translational Science Institute

This is a 3-year study to test the efficacy of a text message-based intervention program. Dental patients at 4 community health centers (n= 266) will be randomized to receive either text messages (TMs) regarding HIV prevention or TMs regarding overall wellness. Prior to enrolling the 266 participants, the investigators will conduct a feasibility pilot (n=20) to test the TM delivery as well as all study procedures. For both the pilot and the randomized clinical trial (RCT), recruitment will be conducted at 4 Community Health Center dental clinics (Codman Square, East Boston (both East Boston and South End locations), Geiger Gibson, and Upham's Community Health Centers). Recruitment materials (flyers and permission to contact forms) may also be made available at other clinics within the health centers. The study will enroll English and Spanish-speaking patients who have at least one risk factor for HIV but are HIV-negative. Patients enrolled in the pilot will complete self-report surveys at baseline, 1 and 2 months. Participants enrolled in the RCT will complete self-report surveys baseline, 3, 6, and 12 months after baseline; receive and respond to TM assessments during the 6-month intervention.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Aug 2024

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

This study is designed as a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, parallel group, placebo-controlled study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of iptacopan (LNP023) in idiopathic immune complex mediated membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Oct 2023

open study

The purpose of this study is to compare the efficacy of teclistamab with PVd/Kd in Part 1 and to further characterize safety and efficacy of an alternative dosing for teclistamab in Part 2 in participants with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Mar 2023

open study

The purpose of this study is to assess the anti-tumor activity and safety of amivantamab which will be administered as a co-formulation with recombinant human hyaluronidase PH20 (rHuPH20) (subcutaneous co-formulation [SC-CF]) in combination treatment (all cohorts except Cohort 4) and to characterize the safety of amivantamab SC-CF (Cohort 4).

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Nov 2022

open study

The purpose of this study is assess safety, safest dose, and effectiveness of venetoclax in combination with dexamethasone in participants with t(11;14) positive relapsed (comes back) or refractory (did not get better) light chain amyloidosis.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Oct 2022

open study

To evaluate the safety and effectiveness of Embrace Hydrogel Embolic System for the transcatheter embolization of peripheral arterial bleeds.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Dec 2022

open study

The purpose of this study is to characterize cardiac safety of Daratumumab, Cyclophosphamide, Bortezomib, and Dexamethasone (D-VCd) treatment regimens (Arm A: daratumumab + immediate VCd treatment and Arm B: daratumumab + deferred VCd) in newly diagnosed systemic amyloid light chain (AL) amyloidosis with cardiac involvement and to identify potential mitigation strategies for cardiac toxicity (cohort 1); to characterize the pharmacokinetics of subcutaneous (SC) daratumumab, among racial and ethnic minorities, including Black or African American, with newly diagnosed AL amyloidosis treated with D-VCd (cohort 2).

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Mar 2022

open study

This phase III trial compares the effect of stereotactic radiosurgery to standard of care memantine and whole brain radiation therapy that avoids the hippocampus (the memory zone of the brain) for the treatment of small cell lung cancer that has spread to the brain. Stereotactic radiosurgery is a specialized radiation therapy that delivers a single, high dose of radiation directly to the tumor and may cause less damage to normal tissue. Whole brain radiation therapy delivers a low dose of radiation to the entire brain including the normal brain tissue. Hippocampal avoidance during whole-brain radiation therapy (HA-WBRT) decreases the amount of radiation that is delivered to the hippocampus which is a brain structure that is important for memory. The drug, memantine, is also often given with whole brain radiotherapy because it may decrease the risk of side effects related to thinking and memory. Stereotactic radiosurgery may decrease side effects related to memory and thinking compared to standard of care HA-WBRT plus memantine.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jun 2021

open study

The Parkinson Progression Marker Initiative (PPMI) is a longitudinal, observational, multi-center natural history study to assess progression of clinical features, digital outcomes, and imaging, biologic and genetic markers of Parkinson's disease (PD) progression in study participants with manifest PD, prodromal PD, and healthy controls. The overall goal of PPMI is to identify markers of disease progression for use in clinical trials of therapies to reduce progression of PD disability.

Type: Observational

Start Date: Jul 2020

open study

This trial will evaluate the efficacy and safety of various therapies in patients with Stage IB, IIA, IIB, IIIA, or selected IIIB resectable and untreated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) tumors that meet protocol-specified biomarker criteria

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Nov 2020

open study

This research is studying the effect of Antibody-Drug Conjugate Sacituzumab Govitecan in Combination with the Poly (Adenosine Diphosphate [ADP]-Ribose) Polymerase (PARP) Inhibitor Talazoparib in Patients with Metastatic Triple-Negative Breast Cancer.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Oct 2019

open study

This research investigates the impact of balance training on improving functional performance and reducing fall risk in community-dwelling older adults who have recovered from COVID-19. Post-COVID-19, many elderly individuals experience lingering physical impairments, including muscle weakness, decreased coordination, and balance deficits, which increase their vulnerability to falls. The study evaluates whether a structured balance training program can enhance stability, mobility, and overall quality of life in this population.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jun 2025

open study

Botulinum toxin injections have been used both in the face and neck for many years. However, injection into the sternocleidomastoid muscle (SCM) has only been done to treat neck spasms. In this study botulinum toxin will be injected into the SCM to determine if this will result in a temporary slimming effect on the neck and produce a more feminine, youthful neck contour.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: May 2025

open study

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if the twiist insulin delivery system works to treat adults with insulin-treated type 2 diabetes.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Apr 2025

open study

Animal assisted therapy (AAT) with dogs has been shown to be beneficial for a wide range of patients with both acute and chronic illnesses, including spinal cord injuries, heart failure, myocardial infarctions, strokes, cancer, post-traumatic stress disorder, and depression. Studies have also demonstrated that even in healthy adults, the presence of dogs is associated with physiologic changes such as increased pain threshold, decreased blood pressure, and decreased heart rate. However, few studies have investigated the role of AAT in the post-operative course in adults. This study will investigate the impact of therapy dog visits on pain and anxiety scores for trauma patients at Boston Medical Center (BMC).

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jun 2025

open study

This is a noninferiority randomized control trial of two cervical preparation methods prior to same-day Dilation & Evacuation (D&E). Cervical preparation is a process that softens and dilates the cervix prior to a procedure. The primary objective is to evidence noninferiority of cervical preparation using a single-balloon catheter method when compared to a group receiving osmotic dilators, specifically in D&E operative time. Secondary objectives will compare the two methods for adequate dilation, ability to complete the operation in the same day, participant pain, satisfaction and safety.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jun 2025

open study

This study examines the implementation of the TodaysBaby™ mobile safe sleep intervention program in US hospitals. The main aims of this study are to examine: 1) differences in program penetration and the equity of penetration according to income and race/ethnicity; 2) differences in feasibility, acceptability, sustainability and fidelity top the intervention; and 3) the effectiveness of the intervention.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: May 2025

open study

Participants eligible for the study will be randomly allocated (1:1:1) to receive either Luminopia dichoptic treatment while wearing optical correction if needed, Vivid Vision dichoptic treatment while wearing optical correction if needed, or continued optical correction alone if needed, with clinical assessments at 9- and 18-weeks post-randomization. At the 18-week primary outcome visit, participants who were randomly assigned to receive optical correction alone if needed with an IOD of 1 logMAR line (5 letters) or more, will be offered randomization to Luminopia or Vivid Vision dichoptic therapy and if they accept, followed forward with visits at 27- and 36-weeks post-randomization. The study will end for all other participants at 18 weeks.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Oct 2024

open study

The appropriate form and dosing of vitamin K to benefit relevant outcomes in knee osteoarthritis (OA) are not known. In intervention studies for conditions other than knee OA (e.g., prevention of cardiovascular disease), the most commonly used forms and doses include phylloquinone (vitamin K1; 1000µg or 500µg daily) or menaquinone-7 (MK-7 or vitamin K2; 300µg daily). However, whether these doses are adequate to increase vitamin K to levels that ameliorate risk of adverse OA outcomes is not known. Furthermore, although some studies suggest enhanced bioavailability of MK-7 over vitamin K1, as well as extra-hepatic effects, whether this is relevant for an older population with knee OA is not known, The overall goal of this pilot randomized clinical trial (RCT) is to test different subtypes and doses of vitamin K supplementation in older adults with knee OA and to measure changes in relevant biochemical measures.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jun 2025

open study

In children 4 to 7 years of age, to determine if treatment with 1 hour per day 6 days per week of watching dichoptic movies/shows wearing the Luminopia headset is non-inferior to treatment with 2 hours of patching per day 7 days per week with respect to change in amblyopic eye distance VA from randomization to 26 weeks.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jul 2024

open study

This is a prospective, multi-center, two-arm, randomized trial to quantify the performance of the EchoMark®/EchoSure® System for AVF diagnostic ultrasound when used under a protocol of biweekly use for assessing fistula maturation and reducing time to Clinical Maturation.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Feb 2024

open study

The liver produces a protein called alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT). AAT is normally released into the bloodstream. In some people, the liver makes an abnormal version of the AAT protein, called Z-AAT. Making an abnormal version of the AAT protein can result in liver disease as Z-AAT builds up in liver cells, which leads to liver problems such as liver scarring (fibrosis), continuing liver damage (cirrhosis), and eventually endstage liver disease. Fazirsiran is a medicine that reduces the creation of the Z-AAT protein and thus the build-up of this abnormal protein in the liver. People with this type of liver disease who already have mild liver scarring will take part in the study. They will be treated with fazirsiran or a placebo for about 2 years. This study will check the long-term safety of fazirsiran, whether participants tolerate the treatment and if there are any effects on liver scarring. A liver biopsy, a way of collecting a small tissue sample from the liver, will be taken twice during the study.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Mar 2024

open study

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of a single dose of NTLA-2001 compared to placebo in participants with ATTR-CM.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Dec 2023

open study

This study will identify unique signatures that people have which can cause pain by evaluating biological, psychological, and social markers using artificial intelligence. These markers can be used to accurately predict the response of diverse individuals with chronic low back pain (cLBP) to Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction. This will help enhance clinician decision-making and the targeted treatment of chronic pain. The overall objective is to use a unique machine learning (ML) approach to determine the biomarker signature of persons undergoing mindfulness based stress reduction (MBSR) treatment for their chronic low back pain (cLBP). This signature will facilitate clinical prediction and monitoring of patient response to MBSR treatment. The design of the study is a single-arm clinical trial of the evidence-based MBSR program for patients with cLBP.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jul 2024

open study