Boston University - Clinical & Translational Science Institute

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

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Nov 2024

open study

The purpose of this clinical trial is to compare the effectiveness of office-based methadone with pharmacy administration and/or dispensing to office-based buprenorphine for the treatment of opioid use disorder. This study will also examine factors influencing the implementation of office-based methadone.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jun 2024

open study

The purpose of this study is to assess if adding LY3537982 (olomorasib) in combination with standard of care anti-cancer drugs is more effective than standard of care in participants with untreated advanced NSCLC. NSCLC must have a change in a gene called KRAS G12C. Study participation, including follow-up, could last up to 3 years, depending on how you and your lung cancer are doing.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Dec 2023

open study

This phase II/III trial examines whether patients who have undergone surgical removal of bladder, kidney, ureter or urethra, but require an additional treatment called immunotherapy to help prevent their urinary tract (urothelial) cancer from coming back, can be identified by a blood test. Many types of tumors tend to lose cells or release different types of cellular products including their DNA which is referred to as circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) into the bloodstream before changes can be seen on scans. Health care providers can measure the level of ctDNA in blood or other bodily fluids to determine which patients are at higher risk for disease progression or relapse. In this study, a blood test is used to measure ctDNA and see if there is still cancer somewhere in the body after surgery and if giving a treatment will help eliminate the cancer. Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, such as nivolumab and relatlimab, can help the body's immune system to attack the cancer, and can interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. This trial may help doctors determine if ctDNA measurement in blood can better identify patients that need additional treatment, if treatment with nivolumab prolongs patients' life and whether the additional immunotherapy treatment with relatlimab extends time without disease progression or prolongs life of urothelial cancer patients who have undergone surgical removal of their bladder, kidney, ureter or urethra.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Feb 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

TESTED will compare the risks and benefits of endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) to medical management (no EVT) in ischemic stroke patients who have a blockage in one of the large blood vessels in the brain and have a moderate-to-severe disability prior to their stroke.

Type: Observational

Start Date: Nov 2023

open study

The purpose of this open-label, multicenter, phase IIIb, single-arm study is to characterize the efficacy and safety of the combination of ribociclib and standard adjuvant endocrine therapy (ET) on invasive breast cancer-free survival (iBCFS), in a close to clinical practice patient population with HR-positive (HR+), HER2-negative (HER2-), Anatomic Stage Group III, IIB, and a subset of Stage IIA Early Breast Cancer (EBC).

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Feb 2024

open study

The phase III trial compares the effect of pembrolizumab to observation for the treatment of patients with early-stage triple-negative breast cancer who achieved a pathologic complete response after preoperative chemotherapy in combination with pembrolizumab. Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, such as pembrolizumab, may help the body's immune system attack the cancer, and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. This trial may help researchers determine if observation will result in the same risk of cancer coming back as pembrolizumab after surgery in triple-negative breast cancer patients who achieve pathologic complete response after preoperative chemotherapy with pembrolizumab.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jun 2023

open study

This phase III trial compares the effect of modified fluorouracil, leucovorin calcium, oxaliplatin, and irinotecan (mFOLFIRINOX) to modified fluorouracil, leucovorin calcium, and oxaliplatin (mFOLFOX) for the treatment of advanced, unresectable, or metastatic HER2 negative esophageal, gastroesophageal junction, and gastric adenocarcinoma. The usual approach for patients is treatment with FOLFOX chemotherapy. Chemotherapy drugs work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells, by stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading. Fluorouracil stops cells from making DNA and it may kill tumor cells. Leucovorin is used with fluorouracil to enhance the effects of the drug. Oxaliplatin works by killing, stopping, or slowing the growth of tumor cells. Some patients also receive an immunotherapy drug, nivolumab, in addition to FOLFOX chemotherapy. Immunotherapy may induce changes in body's immune system and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Irinotecan blocks certain enzymes needed for cell division and DNA repair, and it may kill tumor cells. Adding irinotecan to the FOLFOX regimen could shrink the cancer and extend the life of patients with advanced gastroesophageal cancers.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jan 2023

open study

This phase III trial compares total ablative therapy and usual systemic therapy to usual systemic therapy alone in treating patients with colorectal cancer that has spread to up to 4 body sites (limited metastatic). The usual approach for patients who are not participating in a study is treatment with intravenous (IV) (through a vein) and/or oral medications (systemic therapy) to help stop the cancer sites from getting larger and the spread of the cancer to additional body sites. Ablative means that the intention of the local treatment is to eliminate the cancer at that metastatic site. The ablative local therapy will consist of very focused, intensive radiotherapy called stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR) with or without surgical resection and/or microwave ablation, which is a procedure where a needle is temporarily inserted in the tumor and heat is used to destroy the cancer cells. SABR, surgical resection, and microwave ablation have been tested for safety, but it is not scientifically proven that the addition of these treatments are beneficial for your stage of cancer. The addition of ablative local therapy to all known metastatic sites to the usual approach of systemic therapy could shrink or remove the tumor(s) or prevent the tumor(s) from returning.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Oct 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

This phase Ib trial tests the safety and tolerability of ZEN003694 in combination with an immunotherapy drug called pembrolizumab and the usual chemotherapy approach with nab-paclitaxel for the treatment of patients with triple negative-negative breast cancer that has spread to other parts of the body (advanced). Paclitaxel is in a class of medications called antimicrotubule agents. It stops cancer cells from growing and dividing and may kill them. Nab-paclitaxel is an albumin-stabilized nanoparticle formulation of paclitaxel which may have fewer side effects and work better than other forms of paclitaxel. Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, such as pembrolizumab may help the body's immune system attach the cancer and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. ZEN003694 is an inhibitor of a family of proteins called the bromodomain and extra-terminal (BET). It may prevent the growth of tumor cells that over produce BET protein. Combination therapy with ZEN003694 pembrolizumab immunotherapy and nab-paclitaxel chemotherapy may help shrink or stabilize cancer for longer than chemotherapy alone.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: May 2023

open study

This Phase II/III trial will evaluate the what kind of chemotherapy to recommend to patients based on the presence or absences of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) after surgery for colon cancer.

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

This phase II/III trial compares the effect of adding radiation therapy to the usual maintenance therapy with atezolizumab versus atezolizumab alone in patients who have already received atezolizumab plus chemotherapy for the treatment of small cell lung cancer that has spread outside of the lung or to other parts of the body (extensive stage). Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, such as atezolizumab, may help the body's immune system attack the cancer, and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Radiation therapy uses high energy x-rays to kill tumor cells and shrink tumors. Giving radiation therapy in addition to atezolizumab may extend the time without extensive small cell lung cancer growing or spreading compared to atezolizumab alone.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jan 2021

open study

This study is a Phase 3 multi-site, randomized, evaluator-masked, study of endurance treadmill exercise on changes in the Movement Disorder Society-Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS) Part III score at 12 months among persons with early stage Parkinson disease. 370 participants will be randomly assigned to 2 groups: 1)60-65% HRmax or 2)80-85% HRmax 4 times per week. The primary objective is to test whether the progression of the signs of Parkinson's disease is attenuated at 12 months in among persons who have not initiated medication for Parkinson Disease (PD) when they perform high-intensity endurance treadmill exercise.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Aug 2021

open study

This phase II/III trial studies how well radiation therapy works when given together with cisplatin, docetaxel, cetuximab, and/or atezolizumab after surgery in treating patients with high-risk stage III-IV head and neck cancer the begins in the thin, flat cells (squamous cell). Specialized radiation therapy that delivers a high dose of radiation directly to the tumor may kill more tumor cells and cause less damage to normal tissue. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as cisplatin and docetaxel, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Cetuximab is a monoclonal antibody that may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, such as atezolizumab, may help the body's immune system attack the cancer, and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. The purpose of this study is to compare the usual treatment (radiation therapy with cisplatin chemotherapy) to using radiation therapy with docetaxel and cetuximab chemotherapy, and using the usual treatment plus an immunotherapy drug, atezolizumab.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Mar 2013

open study

This study will examine how two important brain circuits - one involving the subthalamic nucleus (STN) and one involving the ventral intermediate nucleus of the thalamus (VIM) - contribute to learning and producing speech sequences. Participants will include two groups: 1. individuals with Parkinson's disease who have deep brain stimulation (DBS) devices targeting the STN and 2. individuals with essential tremor who have DBS devices targeting the VIM. Participants will complete speech tasks involving the learning and repetition of novel sound sequences. During some parts of the study, DBS stimulation will be temporarily turned on or off in a controlled research setting. This will allow researchers to examine how stimulation affects both the learning of new speech sequences and the production of previously learned sequences. All STN participants and most VIM participants will also be equipped with a cutting-edge DBS system, the Percept PC, which will enable the recording of deep brain activity during the tasks. The results of this study will improve our understanding of how different brain circuits support speech learning and production. In particular, this study will help to differentiate the roles of the STN and VIM in learning the ordering of speech sounds within a syllable from learning of speech sequences containing multiple syllables. This knowledge may help guide future approaches to optimizing DBS settings to improve both movement and speech outcomes in individuals with neurological disorders, as well as provide greater general insight into how these brain structures contribute to speech production and learning.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Feb 2026

open study

Despite much progress towards reaching UNAIDS goals for HIV treatment, disengagement from care remains one of the biggest obstacles to HIV elimination. In many African countries, including South Africa, the early treatment period (first six months after starting or re-starting antiretroviral therapy (ART)) is the interval with the highest risk of treatment interruption and disengagement, but until recently, this period had received relatively little attention from researchers and policy makers. The Retain6 project was launched in 2021 to generate data about the early treatment period, propose potential improvements to guidelines and models of care, and conduct preliminary tests of some potential interventions. Since then, Retain6 has collected detailed data about, among other topics: - Patient-level preferences, barriers, and facilitators of care during the first six months to help predict interruption risks and develop relevant interventions (PREFER survey, protocol M220440 (Wits HREC), H-42726 (BU IRB) - Predictors of risks of treatment interruption during the early treatment period and characteristics of patients most likely to experience interruptions, with an improved risk assessment approach for use at primary clinic level (PREDICT model, protocol M210472) - Interventions currently available at primary healthcare clinics to improve engagement in care, to match interventions to risks - Current facility compliance with South Africa's 2023 HIV treatment guidelines (FIRST-HIV, protocol 250409) - Provider views of retention in care and potential ways to improve it, to understand facility barriers to implementing guidelines (FIRST-HIV, protocol 250409) - Effectiveness of tracing interventions following an interruption, to optimize tracing procedures once disengagement occurs (GREAT-South Africa, protocol M2409113). Under the proposed BRIDGE (Behavioral Risk Identification and Decision Guidance for Engagement) protocol, the investigators aim to synthesize the data listed above to create and test a client retention toolkit comprising a package of targeted, light-touch interventions that aim to improve outcomes during the early treatment period. The retention toolkit is expected to include: - An updated adherence risk/vulnerability assessment tool for use by clients and providers during consultations to identify clients vulnerable to disengagement from care - A "menu" of available interventions that can be matched to identified vulnerability factors for disengagement and allow patients to choose what they believe will be most effective for them - A "treatment roadmap" to help new and re-starting ART patients understand and adhere to treatment schedules - A WhatsApp based tool, AI Coach, developed by external colleagues to provide confidential and empathetic support and information after treatment initiation. - An improved process for identifying patients eligible for tracing and monitoring tracing results. - A co-designed, user-friendly checklist/job aid to support providers in adhering to the 2023 ART guidelines during early treatment. This package is currently being co-designed with key stakeholders, including the National Department of Health, and is intended to be implemented within the existing systems and require minimal additional resources. On completion of the co-design process, the investigators will conduct a pilot assessment of the retention toolkit to describe acceptability, feasibility, uptake, and preliminary impact on near-term outcomes (attendance at next scheduled visit) at a selected set of primary healthcare clinics in South Africa. The study procedures will combine secondary analysis of de-identified medical record data and qualitative data collection among patients and providers. Data collection will take place during the first half of 2026, with a waiver of consent requested for medical record data and written informed consent for qualitative data collection. The maximum total sample size for the medical record data will be 30,000 patients and for the qualitative data collection will be 180 patients and 90 providers.

Type: Observational

Start Date: Mar 2026

open study

Despite the scale-up of HIV testing and the implementation of the universal test-and-treat policy, a substantial proportion of people living with HIV (PLHIV) continue to present with advanced HIV disease (AHD), defined by a CD4 count below 200 cells/µL and/or WHO clinical staging of stage 3 or 4. Global and regional analyses estimate that nearly half of hospitalized PLHIV meet criteria for AHD, with similar findings reported in South Africa. Patients with AHD face high risks of opportunistic infections, hospitalization, and mortality, and frequently disengage from care after discharge. This study aims to examine inpatient and post-discharge care pathways for individuals with AHD in South Africa, identify gaps in continuity of care between hospitals and primary healthcare (PHC) facilities, and generate evidence to inform strategies that strengthen linkage, retention, and long-term outcomes. A prospective cohort study with a nested process evaluation will be conducted at Helen Joseph Hospital, a large public tertiary facility in Johannesburg. Adult patients (≥18 years) admitted with HIV-related conditions and meeting AHD criteria will be consecutively enrolled once deemed clinically stable. Data will be collected through structured inpatient interviews, medical-record reviews, and follow-up telephone interviews at four- and eight-weeks post-discharge to assess linkage to PHC services, ART continuation, and readmissions. Quantitative data will be analyzed descriptively using standard statistical methods. This study will generate a detailed understanding of how patients with AHD transition from inpatient to outpatient HIV care, highlighting critical points where continuity of care fails. Findings will identify system- and patient-level barriers to effective linkage and retention and inform interventions to improve post-discharge outcomes. The study poses minimal risk to participants, involving only structured interviews and review of existing medical records, with no invasive procedures.

Type: Observational

Start Date: Feb 2026

open study

In this pilot study a new kind of music therapy will be created and tested to help prevent confusion, called delirium, that can happen in the hospital. This can affect people with brain diseases like Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. Each of the anticipated 30 participants will have up to five music therapy sessions. The sessions will be made just for them and may include live music, playing instruments, or listening to recorded music. Surveys will be used to learn how easy the therapy is to do in the hospital and what people think about how helpful the sessions may be for future patients.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Mar 2026

open study

The ELEVATE III Pivotal Study is a prospective, multi-center, open-label, interventional, randomized, controlled study with an active control group. The study is intended to assess the safety and efficacy of the Elevate™ percutaneous Left Ventricular Assist Device System in patients referred to high-risk percutaneous coronary interventions (HR-PCI).

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jul 2025

open study

Less than 20% of people with PTSD receive any treatment. This study extends a program of research by the investigator focused on developing adaptive (stepped) interventions for PTSD. The adaptive intervention sequences a digital mental health intervention (DMHI) and brief trauma- and skills-focused treatments for PTSD. The selected treatments are brief and scalable and less burdensome to systems of care. These treatments are: web-administered Skills Training in Affective and Interpersonal Regulation (webSTAIR), Brief STAIR, and Written Exposure Therapy (WET).

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Mar 2026

open study

The main purpose of this study is to compare the effect of tebapivat versus placebo on anemia and to detect a dose-response for hemoglobin (Hb) response in participants with SCD.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: May 2025

open study

This study aims to check how safe and well-tolerated a second dose of RSVpreF is when given during later pregnancies, and to see how long the immunity lasts from a single dose given during a previous pregnancy by examining the blood of nonpregnant participants who had the vaccine before.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Apr 2025

open study