Clinical Trials

Are you a cancer survivor? Would you like to join a clinical trial that is testing whether wearable devices and smartphone apps can help cancer survivors be more active? You must be 18 years old to join. The study is taking place in Worcester, Massachusetts.

Pneumonia is a major public health problem for the elderly and is one of the leading causes of hospitalization and death for this population, particularly for elderly nursing home residents. This planning grants seeks to establish a safe and effective dose of zinc supplementation with the goal to conduct a larger randomized clinical trial to study the effect of zinc supplementation in nursing home elderly with low serum zinc levels on the risk, antibiotic use, and duration of sick days with pneumonia. This project has significant potential to positively impact the health and quality of life in the elderly and to reduce the economic costs associated with their care.

his trial will evaluate an oral drug discovered in a high throughput screen, which increases fetal globin protein (HbF and red blood cells expressing HbF)and messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) to high levels in anemic nonhuman primates and in transgenic mice.

Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) impairs oxygen transport to tissue and causes endothelial injury. Thus, therapeutic interventions aim to improve both, but there is an unmet need for biomarkers to determine when intervention is necessary and evaluate the effectiveness of the chosen intervention in individual patients. This study proposes to monitor SCD and its treatment through their impact on cerebral hemodynamics, as the brain is one of the most vulnerable and consequential targets of the disease. Specifically, this study will optimize quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and advanced optical spectroscopy techniques such as frequency-domain near-infrared and diffuse correlation spectroscopies (FDNIRS-DCS) to monitor 1) cerebral oxygen transport with measures of cerebral blood flow (CBF), cerebral oxygen extraction fraction (OEF) and cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen consumption (CMRO2) and 2) endothelial function with cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR).

Are you an adult with primary light chain amyloidosis? Researchers in this study are investigating new ways to look at the heart to identify when it is not working properly. You may be able to participate if you are at least 18 years old and have been diagnosed with primary light chain amyloidosis. This study is taking place in Boston, Massachusetts.

The main goal of this study is to determine whether the treatment will lead to a complete absence of severe vaso-occlusive events (VOEs) in patients with severe SCD.

Do you have heart failure and live near Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts? Researchers are testing whether an online program helps lower the number of times patients with heart failure return to the hospital. You may be able to participate if you are at least 18 years old, have heart failure, and live within 30 miles of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

Do you have chronic kidney disease? If you are at least 21 years old, you may be able to participate in this study of a medication typically used to treat gout to see if can be used to treat people with chronic kidney disease. The study is taking place in Boston, Massachusetts.

Does your child have Down Syndrome? Did they have a complete atrioventricular septal defect (CAVSD) repair within the first year of their life? Researchers in this study are investigating how the
brain develops in children with Down Syndrome who have congenital heart disease. To participate, your child must be between 5 and 12 years old and have Down Syndrome. The study will enroll children who have congenital heart disease as well as children who do not have congenital heart disease. The study is taking place in locations in Delaware, Georgia, Indiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Washington, D.C., and Toronto, Canada

Were you diagnosed with heart failure within the past 6 months? In this clinical trial, researchers are studying whether a medication given through an IV can improve exercise capacity for patients with heart failure. Participants will have other tests and blood work to see how the heart and lungs react to the medication. You must be at least 18 years old to participate. The study is taking place in Boston, Massachusetts.