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 goal of this multi-center randomized, parallel group trial is to determine the effect of human milk diets ranging between 180 and 200 mL/kg/day on the body composition outcomes of moderately preterm infants born between 27 and 31 weeks of gestation.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Feb 2025

open study

In the effort to reduce postoperative opioid use, there has been increasing interest in developing multimodal pain regimens to better manage postoperative pain while minimizing opioid use and their subsequent side effects that can be detrimental to the healing process. Standard of care approaches to better manage postoperative pain include the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocol and the use of peripheral and truncal nerve blocks. Truncal nerve blocks are widely used as an additional modality to provide longer lasting postoperative analgesia and have been adopted as part of the standard of care. The goal of this clinical trial is to compare the effects of ERAS alone versus the quadratus lumborum (QL) nerve block on the postoperative pain experience for women with pelvic organ prolapse undergoing robotic assisted sacrocolpopexy. Subjects will be randomized to the ERAS protocol or the QL block. The main questions the study aims to answer are: 1) does the QL block decrease patient reported pain scores postoperatively; and 2) does the QL block decrease the amount of opioid pain medications in the immediate postoperative period? The primary outcome measure will be median patient reported pain score in the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) following surgery.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jan 2025

open study

ACT18018 is a multinational, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, Phase 2 study with 3 treatment groups. The purpose of this study is to evaluate efficacy, safety and tolerability with 2 dosing regimens of itepekimab compared with placebo in male and/or female participants with NCFB aged 18 years of age up to 85 years of age (inclusive). Study details include: - The study duration (screening, 24-52-week treatment, 20-week safety follow-up) will be up to 47-77 weeks. - The treatment duration will be up to 24-52 weeks. - The follow-up duration will be 20 weeks. - Site/phone visits are at a monthly interval.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Feb 2024

open study

The goal of this study is to test whether chemotherapy guided by a new imaging method named DCE-MRI can more effectively reduce a pancreatic tumor, enabling curable surgery, over the conventional method when a tumor is categorized as borderline resectable pancreatic cancer. UAB radiological research team has been studying a cutting-edge imaging technique named dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging, or DCE-MRI, for over 10 years. This technique has been globally used to calculate the blood flow of various tissues, including tumors. Blood flow often serves as a critical indicator showing a disease status. For example, a pancreatic tumor typically has low blood flow, so it can be used as an indicator to identify the presence of a pancreatic tumor. In addition, an effective therapy can result in the increase of blood flow in a pancreatic tumor during the early period of treatment. Therefore, the investigators may be able to determine whether the undergoing therapy is effective or not by measuring the change of blood flow in the pancreatic tumor and deciding whether to continue the therapy or try a different one.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Oct 2024

open study

The purpose of each study is to independently measure the annualized relapse rate (ARR) with administration of frexalimab compared to a daily oral dose of teriflunomide in male and female participants with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (aged 18 to 55 years at the time of enrollment). People diagnosed with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis are eligible for enrollment as long as they meet all the inclusion criteria and none of the exclusion criteria. Study details include: - This event-driven study will have variable duration of approximately 40 months for the first participant being randomized and approximately 20 months for the last participant randomized. - The study intervention duration will vary ranging from approximately 12 to 40 months. - The assessment of scheduled visits will include 1 common end of study [EOS] visit and 3 follow-up visits) with a visit frequency of every 4 weeks for the first 6 months and then every 3 months.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Dec 2023

open study

This study is being conducted to determine the efficacy and safety of povorcitinib in participants with nonsegmental vitiligo.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Nov 2023

open study

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of BMS-986278 in Participants with Progressive Pulmonary Fibrosis.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Oct 2023

open study

The primary objective of the study is to determine the effect of seralutinib on improving exercise capacity in subjects with WHO Group 1 PAH who are FC II or III. The secondary objective for this trial is to determine time to clinical worsening.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Dec 2023

open study

This is a Phase 4 blinded, randomized, active-controlled, non-inferiority trial. Persons of any gender identity will be eligible. Final evaluable population will include a minimum 596 individuals: 298 persons assigned female sex at birth (AFAB) with confirmed urogenital chlamydia (CT) and 298 persons assigned male at birth (AMAB) with confirmed rectal chlamydia (CT). Approximately 664 participants will be enrolled to achieve a minimum 596 participants who contribute primary outcome data. Randomization will be stratified by study site and sex at birth: 332 persons assigned female sex at birth (AFAB) and 332 persons assigned male sex at birth (AMAB). Participants will be randomized 1:1 to a 3-day regimen of doxycycline or a 7-day regimen of doxycycline. The study blind will be maintained by providing 7 days of identical pre-filled blister packs, one with 3 days of active treatment and 4 days of placebo, and the other with 7 days of active treatment. Participants will be asked to return 28 days after randomization (at day 29), at which time they will be re-tested for chlamydia (CT) using a laboratory-based chlamydia (CT) nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT).

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jan 2024

open study

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy, safety, and pharmacokinetics of sefaxersen (RO7434656), a novel Antisense Oligonucleotide (ASO) therapy in participants with primary IgA nephropathy (IgAN) who are at high risk of progressive kidney disease despite optimized supportive care.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Aug 2023

open study

The main purpose of the study is to evaluate the efficacy of vixarelimab compared with placebo on lung function in participants with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and in participants with systemic sclerosis-associated interstitial lung disease (SSc-ILD). Participants who complete 52-weeks of treatment in the Double-blind Treatment (DBT) period can choose to enroll in the optional Open-label Extension (OLE) period to receive treatment with vixarelimab for another 52 weeks.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: May 2023

open study

The purpose of this study is to assess the objective response rate (ORR) of immunotherapy-based combination therapy and to assess the safety and tolerability of immunotherapy-based combination therapy.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Feb 2023

open study

The proposed project will attempt to confirm the benefits of a structured magic trick training program (MTTP) experience in adolescents with autism. Benefits of participating in a 6-week virtual MTTP will be evaluated using validated assessments to measure social-emotional competencies.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Mar 2023

open study

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of aticaprant compared with placebo as adjunctive therapy to an antidepressant in improving depressive symptoms in adult participants with major depressive disorder (MDD) with moderate to severe anhedonia (ANH+) who have had an inadequate response to current antidepressant therapy with a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) or serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI).

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Dec 2022

open study

The purpose of this study is to assess the long-term safety and tolerability of aticaprant administered as adjunctive therapy to a current antidepressant (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor [SSRI] or serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor [SNRI]) in all participants with major depressive disorder (MDD).

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Sep 2022

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

A greater understanding of plasticity after central vision loss can inform new therapies for treating low vision and has the potential to benefit millions of individuals suffering from low vision. The treatment of low vision is particularly relevant to the mission of the NEI to support research on visual disorders, mechanisms of visual function, and preservation of sight. The comparison of different training and outcome factors is in line with the NIMH RDOC framework and studies in an aging population are consistent with the mission of the NIA.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Nov 2022

open study

A greater understanding of plasticity after central vision loss can inform new therapies for treating low vision and has the potential to benefit millions of individuals suffering from low vision. The treatment of low vision is particularly relevant to the mission of the National Eye Institute (NEI) to support research on visual disorders, mechanisms of visual function, and preservation of sight. The comparison of different training and outcome factors is in line with the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Research Domain Criteria (RDOC) framework and studies in an aging population are consistent with the mission of the National Institute on Aging (NIA).

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Oct 2022

open study

This project's objective is to identify effective treatments for Gulf War Illness (GWI). The project tests three potential treatments: curcumin, stinging nettle, and resveratrol. The project uses a decentralized clinical trial (DCT) design in which individuals can participate from anywhere in the United States. Recruitment efforts will be designed to obtain a geographically and demographically diverse study sample.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: May 2023

open study

Obtain safety and effectiveness data to support indication expansion for the Medtronic TAVR System to include patients with moderate, AS.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Apr 2022

open study

The overarching hypothesis of the ARRC trial is that administration of Azithromycin (AZM) during acute, Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV)-induced respiratory failure will be beneficial, mediated through the matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 pathway.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Feb 2022

open study

Study consists of two parts, a part 1 dose escalation and a part 2 cohort expansion in combination with dexamethasone and carfilzomib intravenously across two cohorts with a monotherapy component as well.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Sep 2021

open study

This is a multicenter, open-label phase II study in subjects with relapsed and/or refractory multiple myeloma with at least two prior lines of therapy. The main study consists of three phases: a 28-day screening phase, treatment phase that consists of 28-day cycles of isatuximab with elotuzumab, pomalidomide, and dexamethasone and a follow-up phase.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jan 2022

open study

This is a global, multicenter, 2-part study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of selinexor plus ruxolitinib in JAK inhibitor (JAKi) treatment-naïve myelofibrosis (MF) participants. The study will be conducted in two phases: Phase 1 (open-label) and Phase 3 (double-blind). Phase 1 (enrollment completed) was an open-label evaluation of the safety and recommended Phase 2 dose (RP2D) of selinexor in combination with ruxolitinib and included a dose escalation using a standard 3+3 design (Phase 1a) and a dose expansion part (Phase 1b). Phase 3 (ongoing), double-blind, placebo-controlled part of the study comparing the efficacy and safety of combination therapy of selinexor + ruxolitinib with combination of placebo + ruxolitinib.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Mar 2021

open study