UAB - Center for Clinical and Translational Science

Without an explanation for severe and sometimes life-threatening symptoms, patients and their families are left in a state of unknown. Many individuals find themselves being passed from physician to physician, undergoing countless and often repetitive tests in the hopes of finding answers and insight about what the future may hold. This long and arduous journey to find a diagnosis does not end for many patients- the Office of Rare Diseases Research (ORDR) notes that 6% of individuals seeking their assistance have an undiagnosed disorder. In 2008, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Undiagnosed Diseases Program (UDP) was established with the goal of providing care and answers for these individuals with mysterious conditions who have long eluded diagnosis. The NIH UDP is a joint venture of the NIH ORDR, the National Human Genome Research Institute Intramural Research Program (NHGRI-IRP), and the NIH Clinical Research Center (CRC) (1-3). The goals of the NIH UDP are to: (1) provide answers for patients with undiagnosed diseases; (2) generate new knowledge about disease mechanisms; (3) assess the application of new approaches to phenotyping and the use of genomic technologies; and (4) identify potential therapeutic targets, if possible. To date, the UDP has evaluated 3300 medical records and admitted 750 individuals with rare and undiagnosed conditions to the NIH Clinical Center. The NIH UDP has identified more than 70 rare disease diagnoses and several new conditions. The success of the NIH UDP prompted the NIH Common Fund to support the establishment of a network of medical research centers, the Undiagnosed Diseases Network (UDN), for fiscal years 2013-2020. The clinical sites will perform extensive phenotyping, genetic analyses, and functional studies of potential disease-causing variants. The testing performed on patients involves medically indicated studies intended to help reach a diagnosis, as well as research investigations that include a skin biopsy, blood draws, and DNA analysis. In addition, the UDN will further the goals of the UDP by permitting the sharing of personally identifiable phenotypic and genotypic information within the network. By sharing participant information and encouraging collaboration, the UDN hopes to improve the understanding of rare conditions and advance the diagnostic process and care for individuals with undiagnosed diseases.

Type: Observational

Start Date: Sep 2015

open study

The purpose of the study is to enroll participants with uncontrolled asthma to evaluate the large and small airways and drug delivery utilizing two study drugs: - Beclometasone dipropionate/Formoterol fumarate dihydrate/Glycopyrronium bromide (BDP/FF/G) or Trimbow - Fluticasone furoate/Umeclidinium/Vilanterol (FluF/UMEC/VI ) or Trelegy Ellipta

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Mar 2026

open study

The purpose of this study is to gather pilot data on the effectiveness of daily disposable tinted contact lenses in reducing photophobia (light sensitivity) following a concussion, with the goal of facilitating the return to work or school.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: May 2026

open study

This phase III trial compares the effect of bevacizumab in combination with carboplatin, paclitaxel and pembrolizumab to the usual treatments of carboplatin and paclitaxel with or without pembrolizumab in treating patients with stage III, IVA or IVB mismatch repair protein proficient (pMMR) and TP53 mutated endometrial cancer that may have spread from where it first started to nearby tissue, lymph nodes, or distant parts of the body (advanced) or that has come back after a period of improvement (recurrent). Bevacizumab is in a class of medications called antiangiogenic agents. It works by stopping the formation of blood vessels that bring oxygen and nutrients to tumor. This may slow the growth and spread of tumor. Carboplatin is in a class of medications known as platinum-containing compounds. Carboplatin works by killing, stopping or slowing the growth of tumor cells. Paclitaxel is in a class of medications called antimicrotubule agents. It stops tumor cells from growing and dividing and may kill them. Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, such as pembrolizumab, may help the body's immune system attack the tumor, and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Adding bevacizumab to the combination of carboplatin, paclitaxel and pembrolizumab may be more effective than the usual treatment combinations of carboplatin and paclitaxel with or without pembrolizumab in treating patients with advanced or recurrent pMMR and TP53 mutated endometrial cancer.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jan 2026

open study

This phase II trial compares the effect of amivantamab and hyaluronidase to cetuximab for the treatment of skin (cutaneous) squamous cell carcinoma that has come back after a period of improvement and has not spread to other parts of the body (locally recurrent) or that has spread from where it first started (primary site) to other places in the body (metastatic). Amivantamab is a monoclonal antibody that may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. A monoclonal antibody is a type of protein that can bind to certain targets in the body, such as molecules that cause the body to make an immune response (antigens). Hyaluronidase is an endoglycosidase. It helps to keep amivantamab in the body longer, so that the medications will have a greater effect. Cetuximab is in a class of medications called monoclonal antibodies. It binds to a protein called EGFR, which is found on some types of cancer cells. This may help keep cancer cells from growing. Giving amivantamab and hyaluronidase may be as effective as cetuximab for the treatment of locally recurrent or metastatic cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Mar 2026

open study

The purpose of this research study is to explore whether genetic testing can offer a personalized and timely approach to assist physicians in making more informed medication decisions for stroke or high-risk transient ischemic attack (TIA) patients during their hospital stay.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Apr 2025

open study

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of fosmanogepix (administered IV or oral) for the treatment of adult patients with invasive mold infections. The study is looking for patients who have been diagnosed with invasive mold infections. The maximum study duration will be approximately 8 months, including a target study treatment duration of 84 days which can be extended up to 180 days and follow-up period. The patient will be assigned to one of two treatment cohorts: Cohort A (primary therapy): Patients will receive either the study drug or institutional standard of care antifungal treatment. Cohort B (salvage treatment; i.e. treatment given after patients did not respond to previous treatments or did not tolerate them): Patients will receive the study drug The primary aim is to compare the all cause mortality with a fixed threshold at Day 42.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Aug 2025

open study

IRIS-CKD is an implementation study to improve guideline-recommended screening of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2D) in the United States.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Oct 2025

open study

This is an open-label, comprehensive, iterative investigation of evaluating the use of induction chemotherapy, high-dose chemotherapy, and focal radiation therapy in children with newly diagnosed Embryonal Tumor With Multilayered Rosettes (ETMR).

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Mar 2025

open study

The goal of this clinical trial is to investigate whether a Ketogenic Diet (KD) can increase Total Energy Expenditure (TEE), while benefiting appetite, during weight loss maintenance in reduced-obese individuals.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Aug 2025

open study

This study is being done to see if the study drug, motixafortide, is safe in participants with sickle cell disease (SCD). Investigators also want to see if the drug will help the body increase the number of stem cells that can be collected for possible future transplant use. PRIMARY OBJECTIVE - To characterize the safety and tolerability of motixafortide in participants with SCD as determined by the incidence of adverse events (AEs). SECONDARY OBJECTIVES - To characterize the efficacy of a single dose (Part A) or two doses (Part B) of motixafortide for hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) mobilization and apheresis collection in participants with SCD as determined by the yield of CD34+ cells (CD34+ cells/kg). - To measure the mobilization effects of single-day (Part A) or daily dosing (Part B) dosing with motixafortide in the peripheral blood in participants with SCD as determined by peak peripheral blood CD34+ counts - To recommend a phase 2 dosing strategy based on safety, efficacy, and mobilization effects

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Nov 2024

open study

The CHAP2 study is designed to provide preliminary data for a larger multicenter study to assess whether treatment of stage 1 hypertension (HTN) in pregnancy improves maternal and or neonatal outcomes. The primary objective of this pilot study is to determine if anti-HTN treatment to BP<130/80mmHg in pregnant patients with stage 1 HTN is associated with a difference in birthweight percentile at delivery. Patients with stage 1 hypertension in pregnancy will be randomized to BP goals of <130/80mmHg or usual care to treatment only if BPs ≥140/90mmHg. For this pilot, the investigator will randomize a total of 74 eligible participants, 37 to active treatment to BP<130/80mmHg and 37 to usual care.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Apr 2024

open study

The purpose of this study is to investigate the brain activity associated with cognitive tasks (thinking, reasoning, remembering) in order to understand how the brain works during certain tasks and to improve treatment for diseases like dementia and attention deficit disorders. Cognitive (thinking) impairment may include poor memory function, poor attention span, or psychiatric disorders (ex: ADD, depression). The investigators are interested in the brain activity related to these issues, and want to investigate changes in brain activity while we record activity from specific areas of the brain. These recordings are in addition to clinical (routine or standard of care) recordings being performed to monitor for seizures and do not impact the clinical care.

Type: Observational

Start Date: Mar 2023

open study

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn about the effect of the study drug (ZT-01) on low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) in adults with type 1 diabetes (T1D) who have been having low blood sugars ("hypos") at night. ZT-01 increases the amount of a hormone called glucagon during low blood sugar, and this may help prevent the occurrence of hypos. The main questions this trial aims to answer are whether ZT-01 lowers the number of hypos happening at night, and what its effects are on blood sugar levels. The safety of ZT-01 will also be measured. Participants will be asked to wear a study-provided continuous glucose monitor (CGM) during two 4-week periods when they will self-inject the study drug before bed. They will get ZT-01 at one of three dose levels during one period, and placebo (which looks like the study drug but doesn't contain the active ingredient) during the other. Neither the participant nor the study site will know what they are receiving during each treatment period or see data from the CGM. The participant will continue to use their usual methods of measuring blood sugar (including their personal CGM) and giving insulin during the study. The participant will be asked to complete a short diary each evening, and will be asked to upload the CGM data to a study phone every day. If a participant uses their own CGM and is willing to share information on how often they have low blood sugar with the study site at the first visit to see if they meet study entry requirements, they will have 6 study visits, 2 study phone calls, and be in the study for about 16 weeks. If they don't use CGM or don't want to share their information, then they will be asked to wear a study CGM for an extra 4 weeks to find out how many low blood sugars they have, and will have an extra visit. Study participants will be asked to give blood and urine for testing to see whether they meet the requirements to enter the study, and at the start and end of each treatment period to see if the study treatment has any effects. They will also have their blood pressure and temperature taken at each study visit, and have an ECG at 4 visits to measure the electrical activity of their heart. Some participants will be asked to also take part in a sub-study where their blood level of ZT-01 and glucagon is measured, after the first and last dose. They will be asked to stay at the study site overnight for each set of measurements (4 in total).

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jul 2023

open study

Immunotherapy has gained a significant amount of attention recently, but its efficacy as a single agent in gynecological cancers has been disappointing. Pre-clinical evidence supports the combination of using Vascular Endothelial Growth Factors (VEGF) inhibitors with immunotherapy. VEGF inhibitors suppress the activation of tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) and VEGF has been shown to affect the functional maturation of dendritic cells; therefore, VEGF inhibitors could improve the function of antigen presentation. In this study, Cabozantinib (VEGF inhibitor) and Dostarlimab (immunotherapeutic drug) will be admnistered as a combination to patients with recurrent gynecologic carcinosarcoma.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Aug 2023

open study

Constraint-Induced Movement Therapy or CI Therapy is a form of treatment that systematically employs the application of selected behavioral techniques delivered in intensive treatment over consecutive day with the following strategies utilized: behavioral strategies are implemented to improve the use of the more- affected limb in life situation called a Transfer Package (TP), motor training using a technique called shaping to make progress in successive approximations, repetitive, task oriented training, and strategies to encourage or constrain participants to use the more-affected extremity including restraint of the less-affected arm in the upper extremity (UE) protocol. Numerous studies examining the application of CI therapy with UE rehabilitation after stroke have demonstrated strong evidence for improving the amount of use and the quality of the more-affected UE functional use in the participant's daily life situation. CI Therapy studies with adults, to date, have explored intensive treatment for participants with a range from mild-to-severe motor impairment following stroke with noted motor deficits and limited use of the more-affected arm and hand in everyday activities. Each CI Therapy protocol was designed for the level of impairment demonstrated by participants recruited for the study. However, often following stroke, patients not only have motor deficits but somatosensory impairments as well. The somatosensory issues have not, as yet, been systematically measured and trained in CI Therapy protocols with adults and represent an understudied area of stroke recovery. We hypothesize that participants with mild-to-severe motor impairment and UE functional use deficits can benefit from CI therapy protocols that include somatosensory measurement and training components substituted for portions of motor training without loss in outcome measure gains. Further, we hypothesize that adults can improve somatosensory outcomes as a result of a combined CI therapy plus somatosensory component protocol.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Mar 2023

open study

The purpose of this study is to assess the efficacy, safety, PK, and PD of satralizumab in participants with NMDAR and LGI1 encephalitis.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Sep 2022

open study

This is a multicenter trial to establish the efficacy of cooling and the optimal duration of induced hypothermia for neuroprotection in pediatric comatose survivors of cardiac arrest. The study team hypothesizes that longer durations of cooling may improve either the proportion of children that attain a good neurobehavioral recovery or may result in better recovery among the proportion already categorized as having a good outcome.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Aug 2022

open study

This trial is a Phase II trial designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of using oral AL8326 , a multi-targeted receptor Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor( TKI) , to recurrent, advanced, or metastatic small cell lung cancer (SCLC) patients , Non-Small Cell Lung (NSCLC) and Renal Cell Carcinoma patients who need ≥2nd line treatment .

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Nov 2022

open study

This cluster-randomized comparative effectiveness trial compares a technology-based supportive cancer care (SCC) approach with a redesigned team-based supportive cancer care (SCC) approach.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jun 2022

open study

Although there is evidence in the literature that gammaglobulin replacement therapy can lead to a reduction in the prevalence of pulmonary infection and improved lung function, there is no published study to guide immunologists regarding the use of spirometry in titrating IG therapy to assist in the management of immunodeficiency patients with regards to gammaglobulin replacement therapy. The investigators propose to study the use of spirometry to identify patients that could potentially benefit from an increase in IGRT. The investigators will identify 22 common variable immune deficiency (CVID) study subjects on stable IGRT replacement therapy equivalent to 0.40 to 0.60 gm/kg per 4 weeks who have evidence of mild to moderate obstruction as assessed by an FEF25-75% between 50% and 80% of predicted. Patients who are on Hizentra will be preferentially recruited. Of these 22, 11 will be identified at random and treated for 6 months at their current dose (control population). The remaining 11 study subjects (treatment group) will have their level of IGRT increased by the equivalent of 0.05 gm/kg in dose per 4 weeks, adjusted for bioavailability as per manufacturer's instructions. On average, rounded up to the nearest gram, this will typically increase their dose of Hizentra by 2 gm per week.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jan 2024

open study

A randomized controlled trial of 1,500 women to assess whether treatment of obstructive sleep apnea with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) in pregnancy will result in a reduction in the rate of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Aug 2018

open study

The primary objective of this substudy is to measure the concentration and the regional brain distribution of activated brain microglia/macrophages using the PET ligand [18F]DPA-714 in participants enrolled in the UAB Innate and Adaptive Immunity in Parkinson's Disease (Clinical Research Core) and Longitudinal [18F]DPA-714 Imaging in a Parkinson Disease Cohort studies. The PET tracer [18F]DPA-714 binds to the 18 kDa translocator protein (TSPO, also known as the peripheral benzodiazepine receptor) in the mitochondria of activated microglia/macrophages and provides a non-invasive measure of neuroinflammation. The amount and distribution of [18F]DPA-714 in the brain will be correlated to clinical data acquired through the separate ongoing UAB Innate and Adaptive Immunity in Parkinson Disease (Clinical Research Core) and Longitudinal [18F]DPA-714 Imaging in a Parkinson Disease Cohort studies. The primary objective of this study is to determine if patients with PD have higher levels of neuroinflammation than healthy controls as measured with [18F]DPA-714-PET/MRI.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Mar 2018

open study

Psoriasis is a chronic and recurrent skin disorder characterized by marked inflammatory changes in the skin. An extensive cytokine network including generated by activated dendritic cells and T cells mediates the formation of psoriatic lesions. These immune-response parameters can be used as markers in the severity and management of the disease after further in-depth studies.

Type: Observational

Start Date: Apr 2014

open study

The Childhood Cancer Survivor Study (CCSS) will investigate the long-term effects of cancer and its associated therapies. A retrospective cohort study will be conducted through a multi-institutional collaboration, which will involve the identification and active follow-up of a cohort of approximately 50,000 survivors of cancer, diagnosed before 21 years of age, between 1970 and 1999 and 10,000 sibling controls. This project will study children and young adults exposed to specific therapeutic modalities, including radiation, chemotherapy, and/or surgery, who are at increased risk of late-occurring adverse health outcomes. A group of sibling controls will be identified and data collected for comparison purposes.

Type: Observational

Start Date: Jan 1995

open study