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 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

Radiosurgery is the use of a focal high dose of radiation therapy to ablate or kill a tumor. This trial will enroll patients with brain metastases 4 cm or less in greatest diameter and will compare 0mm margin to a 2mm margin for treatment.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Apr 2025

open study

Researchers are looking for new ways to treat people with certain advanced solid tumors. Advanced means the cancer has spread to other parts of the body and cannot be removed with surgery. Solid tumors are cancers mostly in body organs and tissues, not in the blood or other body liquids. The main goal of this study is to learn about the safety of MK-3120 and if people tolerate it.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Mar 2025

open study

RETRIAL is a multi-site observational study of people with Cystic Fibrosis (PWCF) ages 6 and up starting the new triple-therapy modulator (vanzacaftor/tezacaftor/deutivacaftor (VTD)), after having experienced neuropsychiatric events and/or liver injury while taking elexacaftor/tezacaftor/ivacaftor (ETI) that resulted in a modification or discontinuation of standard ETI dosing.

Type: Observational

Start Date: May 2025

open study

This phase III trial compares the effect of olaparib for one year versus two years, with or without bevacizumab, for the treatment of BRCA 1/2 mutated or homologous recombination deficient stage III or IV ovarian cancer. Olaparib is a polyadenosine 5'-diphosphoribose polymerase (PARP) enzyme inhibitor and may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. 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. Giving olaparib for one year with or without bevacizumab may be effective in treating patients with BRCA 1/2 mutated or homologous recombination deficient stage III or IV ovarian cancer, when compared to two years of olaparib.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Mar 2025

open study

The purpose of this study is to test the safety and effectiveness of the sequence of two investigational drugs (trastuzumab deruxtecan followed by datopotamab deruxtecan, or datopotamab deruxtecan followed by trastuzumab deruxtecan) to learn whether the treatment works in treating HER2-negative (HER2-low or HER2-0) metastatic breast cancer. The names of the study drugs involved in this study are: - Datopotamab deruxtecan (a type of antibody drug conjugate) - Trastuzumab deruxtecan (a type of antibody drug conjugate)

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Oct 2024

open study

The goal of this study is to evaluate whether a psychological intervention (BMT-CARE) is effective at improving the quality of life in caregivers and patients treated with hematopoietic cell transplant compared to usual care, and to identify critical facilitators and barriers for BMT-CARE implementation and adoption.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jan 2025

open study

The purpose of this study is to establish the efficacy, safety and tolerability of barzolvolimab in adult participants with Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria (CSU) inadequately controlled by non-sedating second generation H1-antihistamines in comparison to placebo.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jul 2024

open study

This is a parallel group, Phase 3, multinational, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, 3-arm study for treatment of participants diagnosed with moderate-to-severe AD on background TCS who have had inadequate response to prior biologic or oral JAKi therapy. The purpose of this study is to measure the efficacy and safety of treatment with amlitelimab solution for subcutaneous (SC) injection compared with placebo in participants with moderate-to-severe AD aged 12 years and older on background TCS and have had an inadequate response to prior biologic or an oral JAKi therapy. Study details include: At the end of the treatment period, participants will have the option to enter the Long-Term Safety Study LTS17367 (RIVER-AD). The study duration will be up to 56 weeks for participants not entering the long-term safety study (LTS17367 [RIVER-AD]) including a 2 to 4-week screening, a 36-week randomized double-blind period, and a 16-week safety follow-up. The study duration will be up to 40 weeks for participants entering the long-term safety study (LTS17367 [RIVER-AD]) including a 2 to 4-week screening and a 36-week randomized double-blind period. The total treatment duration will be up to 36 weeks. The total number of visits will be up to 13 visits (or 12 visits for those entering the long-term safety study LTS17367 [RIVER-AD] study).

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Feb 2024

open study

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and PK of RM-718 in healthy subjects with obesity and in patients with hypothalamic obesity (HO).

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Mar 2024

open study

Our goal is to better understand how DBS modifies local neuronal activity and to pioneer device technologies that can record local DBS-evoked potentials (DLEPs) to guide therapy. Our vision is for a patient's unique electrophysiology to guide both electrode targeting during surgery and programming in clinic, eventually as an integrated component of the implanted pulse generator. Our results will inform directional DBS for PD and serve as a model for translation to other diseases where knowledge on DBS circuit interactions is at an even earlier stage.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jan 2024

open study

This phase III trial compares the addition of an immunotherapy drug (durvalumab) to usual chemotherapy versus usual chemotherapy alone in treating patients with MammaPrint High 2 Risk (MP2) stage II-III hormone receptor positive, HER2 negative breast cancer. Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, such as durvalumab, may help the body's immune system attack the cancer, and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Chemotherapy drugs, such as paclitaxel, doxorubicin, and cyclophosphamide 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. There is some evidence from previous clinical trials that people who have a MammaPrint High 2 Risk result may be more likely to respond to chemotherapy and immunotherapy. Adding durvalumab to usual chemotherapy may be able to prevent the cancer from returning for patients with MP2 stage II-III hormone receptor positive, HER2 negative breast cancer.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Nov 2023

open study

This is a first-in-human Phase I, open-label, dose-escalation and expansion study designed to evaluate the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, immunogenicity, pharmacodynamic, and preliminary anti-tumor activity of RO7566802 as a single agent and in combination with atezolizumab in participants with locally advanced, recurrent, or metastatic incurable solid tumor malignancies. Participants will be enrolled in 2 stages: dose escalation and expansion.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Nov 2023

open study

The goal of this Clinical Study is to understand the outcomes by informing therapy choice for adjuvant treatment in clear cell renal cell carcinoma by using molecular residual disease. The main question[s] it aims to answer are: - what is the progression free survival of a cohort of high risk resected RCC patients when treated based on MRD - what is the overall survival of high risk resected RCC patients when treated based on MRD Participants will forgo adjuvant therapy with pembrolizumab if they have no detectable molecular residual disease. Participants will continue on with standard of care pembrolizumab if they do appear to have molecular residual disease.

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 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

VERIFY will validate biomarkers of upper extremity (UE) motor outcome in the acute ischemic stroke window for immediate use in clinical trials, and explore these biomarkers in acute intracerebral hemorrhage. VERIFY will create the first multicenter, large-scale, prospective dataset of clinical, transmagnetic stimulation (TMS), and MRI measures in the acute stroke time window.

Type: Observational

Start Date: Jun 2022

open study

Prospective, non-randomized, multi-center clinical investigation of the NEXUS™ Aortic Arch Stent Graft System (NEXUSTM) for the treatment of thoracic aortic lesions involving the aortic arch with a proximal landing zone, native or previously implanted surgical graft, in the ascending aorta and with a brachiocephalic trunk native landing zone.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Oct 2020

open study

This phase II trial tests the effect of giving pembrolizumab in combination with radiation therapy after chemotherapy in preventing surgery to remove the bladder in patients with muscle invasive bladder cancer. Standard of care therapy includes chemotherapy before surgery (neoadjuvant) to shrink or get rid of the tumor. 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. Radiation therapy uses high energy x-rays, particles, or radioactive seeds to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. Photon beam radiation therapy is a type of radiation therapy that uses x-rays or gamma rays that come from a special machine called a linear accelerator. The radiation dose is delivered at the surface of the body and goes into the tumor and through the body. Giving pembrolizumab in combination with radiation therapy after neoadjuvant chemotherapy may help prevent surgical removal of the bladder in patients with muscle invasive bladder cancer.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jun 2026

open study

In a multi-ethnic population, a genome-wide polygenic risk score (PRS) for systolic blood pressure (SBP), incorporating over one million common genetic variants, predicts blood pressure (BP) traits and the risk of adverse cardiovascular events beyond traditional risk factors. Delivering SBP PRS information to young and middle-aged adults with hypertension (HTN) and poor cardiovascular health (CVH) may enhance their motivation to adopt healthier lifestyles, improve blood pressure control, and ultimately reduce the risk of future cardiovascular disease (CVD). This randomized controlled trial will assess the impact of SBP PRS disclosure and theory-based genomic counseling on systolic blood pressure and health behaviors. A total of 300 adults aged 18-55 years will be enrolled and randomized to receive either routine clinical care or SBP PRS results with structured genomic counseling based on the Health Belief Model (HBM). Participants will be followed for 12 months. The primary outcome is change in 24-hour mean SBP from baseline to one year. Secondary outcomes include changes in physical activity, diet, medication adherence, smoking, lipid and glucose levels, and body composition. The study will also evaluate how behavior change is influenced by health beliefs, including perceived risk and self-efficacy. This study aims to advance the use of genomic tools in hypertension management and cardiovascular disease prevention.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Aug 2025

open study

High blood pressure (hypertension) is a known side effect of the treatment with fruquintinib. Current research does not provide a clear answer whether minority groups such as Black/African American and/or Hispanic/Latino with refractory metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) have a bigger risk of higher blood pressure after treatment with fruquintinib. The main aim of this study is to learn how often adults of a minority group experience hypertension after they have been treated with fruquintinib for refractory mCRC. Other aims are to learn how safe fruquintinib is and how well it is tolerated by participants. Participants will receive fruquintinib in 4-week treatment cycles until their condition worsens, they do no longer tolerate the treatment or stop the treatment for other reasons. After the last treatment, participants will be checked upon every 3 months until study completion.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jan 2025

open study

The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of bilateral stimulation of the subcallosal cingulate white matter (SCCwm) using Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) as an adjunctive treatment of non-psychotic unipolar Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) in adults.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Sep 2024

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: Sep 2025

open study

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of Arlocabtagene Autoleucel (BMS-986393) in participants with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Mar 2024

open study