Brigham Research Institute (BRI) - Brigham and Women's Hospital

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

This will be a multicenter registry-based study to evaluate safety and efficacy of GLP-1RA and SGLTi therapies in adjunct to insulin in adults with type 1 diabetes (T1D) over 1 year. This study will enroll participants who have been prescribed adjunct therapy as part of usual care.

Type: Observational [Patient Registry]

Start Date: Mar 2026

open study

This study is looking at whether Pilates-based exercise can help with hypermobility-related symptoms, like pain.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jul 2026

open study

The RE-CONNECT study is an early feasibility study to establish the safety, feasibility, and efficacy of two central thalamic deep brain stimulation targets in patients with chronic disorders of consciousness.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Nov 2025

open study

This study is testing a new medicine called PF-08634404 and how it works in adults with advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma (RCC)- a type of kidney cancer that is either locally advanced (spread to nearby tissues) or metastatic (spread to other parts of the body). The study will look at the safety of the study medicine, when given alone or with other anticancer medicines, and how this type of cancer responds to them. To join the study, participants must be adults; with locally advanced or metastatic RCC; who have not received treatment for their advanced kidney cancer. Participants will receive study medicine either alone or with other anticancer medicines. The medicine will be given through intravenous (IV) infusions, which means it will be injected directly into a vein. All treatments will take place at clinical study sites, where trained medical staff will take care of participants during and after each visit.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Feb 2026

open study

The investigators will perform a phase 2a, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial in adult patients undergoing elective coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery to investigate the effects of oral nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) administration on myocardial NAD+ concentrations and on postoperative markers of myocardial and kidney injury.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jun 2026

open study

The objective of the study is to investigate the treatment of marginal ulcers with Low Thermal plasma in an endoscopic setting. By a treatment of the ulcerated areas with argon plasma with low power settings (~ 1 W) we hypothesize that the size of the ulcers will shrink, and the healing is accelerated compared to standard of care alone. Patients will benefit from this minimally invasive approach compared to a much more invasive surgical approach that comes with higher risks and hospital stay length time. From a societal and scientific perspective, this study aims to extend the well-documented clinical benefits of plasma technology - from external wound healing to internal ulcer treatment - within an endoscopic framework. The success of this study could pave the way for broader applications of LTP in the treatment of other endoscopically accessible conditions such as peptic ulcers, duodenal ulcers and esophageal ulcers. This advancement has the potential not only to improve patient outcomes through less invasive methods, but also to position LTP as a cornerstone in the future of gastroenterological wound management strategies.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Mar 2025

open study

This is a placebo-controlled, multi-arm phase II platform screening trial designed to test the safety, pain responses, and pharmacodynamic activity of multiple experimental therapies simultaneously in participants with moderate-to-severe pain due to schwannomatosis (SWN). This Master Study is being conducted as a platform that may allow participants with pain associated with schwannomatosis to receive a novel intervention throughout this study. Embedded within the Master Study are individual drug sub-studies: - Investigational Drug Sub-Study A: Siltuximab - Investigation Drug Sub-Study B: Erenumab-Aooe

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Aug 2023

open study

This phase II trial tests whether the addition of radiation to the primary tumor, typically given with stereotactic ablative radiation therapy (SABR), in combination with standard of care immunotherapy improves outcomes in patients with renal cell cancer that is not recommended for surgery and has spread from where it first started (primary site) to other places in the body (metastatic). Radiation therapy uses high energy photons to kill tumor cells and shrink tumors. Stereotactic body radiation therapy uses special equipment to position a patient and deliver radiation to tumors with high precision. This method may kill tumor cells with fewer doses of radiation over a shorter period and cause less damage to normal tissue. Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, such as nivolumab, ipilimumab, avelumab, and pembrolizumab, may help the body's immune system attack the cancer, and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Axitinib, cabozantinib, and lenvatinib are in a class of medications called antiangiogenic agents. They work by stopping the formation of blood vessels that bring oxygen and nutrients to tumor. This may slow the growth and spread of tumor. Giving SABR in combination with standard of care immunotherapy may help shrink or stabilize the cancer in patients with renal cell cancer.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Feb 2023

open study

Background and Significance: In the United States approximately 220,000 patients undergo cardiac surgery per annum. Among potential complications, the incidence of atrial fibrillation (AF) is estimated at 30 - 60 %, and therefore presents the most common adverse event after cardiac surgery. Multiple complications may be associated with AF: Patients are usually subject to an increased length-of-stay in the intensive care unit and in the hospital. Furthermore, the risk for stroke and development of long-term AF is elevated, while further anticoagulation is required putting the patient at risk for bleeding. On average, an additional $10,000 - $20,000 is spent for each patient with AF. However, the exact burden of postoperative AF still remains unknown. Specific Aims of Research Project: 1. To collect data from an electrocardiogram (EKG) monitoring patch, we aim to accurately determine the prevalence of atrial fibrillation in patients undergoing cardiac surgery at our center. 2. To collect data on epidemiological characteristics to investigate risk factors for developing perioperative atrial fibrillation in patients undergoing cardiac surgery. This will allow us to create robust risk prediction models.

Type: Observational

Start Date: Sep 2021

open study

This study will seek to enroll immunocompromised patients with Lower Tract parainfluenza infection. It also contains a sub-study to enroll patients with severe COVID-19.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: May 2019

open study

We aim to examine how FaceAge estimates (a measure of biological age based on facial features) change across different time points and identify factors that may influence these changes. This will help us understand the consistency and reliability of the FaceAge algorithm and allow us to make improvements.

Type: Observational [Patient Registry]

Start Date: Oct 2025

open study

The purpose of this study is to assess detection rate of flotufolastat F 18 positron emission tomography (PET) for low prostate specific antigen (PSA) recurrence of prostate cancer (PC) following radical prostatectomy.

Type: Observational

Start Date: May 2025

open study

The goal of this observational study is to learn about how regional anesthesia (numbing medication) affects pain in patients with different psychosocial phenotypes such as different levels of concern about pain, sleep issues, and anxiety, who are having surgery. The main questions are: 1. Do psychosocial factors such as concerns about pain, sleep, anxiety affect the effectiveness of regional anesthesia? 2. Do psychosocial factors and regional anesthesia affect the amount of opioids used after surgery? 3. Do psychosocial factors and regional anesthesia affect development of chronic postsurgical pain?

Type: Observational

Start Date: Jul 2024

open study

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn whether a combined behavioral and pharmacologic intervention can help reduce opioid use, improve pain recovery, and prevent opioid misuse after surgery in adults undergoing elective surgery. The study includes adults aged 18 to 75 who have a history of long-term opioid use, defined as having access to opioids for 60 or more days within the 180 days before surgery. The main questions it aims to answer are: - Does Motivational Interviewing with guided opioid tapering plus tizanidine (MI-Opioid Taper + Tizanidine) help participants return to their preoperative opioid use level or stop opioids faster than Enhanced Usual Care (EUC)? - Does the intervention reduce the time to pain resolution and decrease the likelihood of opioid misuse after surgery compared to EUC? Researchers will compare MI-Opioid Taper + Tizanidine to MI-Opioid Taper with placebo and to EUC to see whether the intervention improves postoperative opioid and pain outcomes. Participants will: - Complete a phone assessment and baseline survey before surgery - Be randomly assigned 7-13 days after surgery to one of three groups: - MI-Opioid Taper + tizanidine (MTT) - MI-Opioid Taper + placebo (MTP) - Enhanced Usual Care (EUC) - Complete brief weekly phone or video visits with a study clinician for 6 weeks starting 14 days after surgery - Take a study medication (tizanidine or placebo) three times daily for 5 weeks (MTT and MTP groups only) - Complete weekly online surveys for 6 months, followed by monthly surveys until 12 months after surgery to track pain, opioid use, and related outcomes

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Dec 2024

open study

The overall objective of this study is to conduct a randomized effectiveness-implementation trial to test the non-inferiority of tele-Brief Behavioral Treatment for Insomnia vs. tele-Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia among socioeconomically disadvantaged adults with insomnia in the primary care setting.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Apr 2024

open study

This trial is a multi-center, non-randomized, open-label Phase I/II study evaluating the feasibility and efficacy of vincristine, irinotecan, temozolomide, and atezolizumab in children with relapsed/refractory solid tumors.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Apr 2023

open study

This pilot study will assess the feasibility of using an implantable microdevice to measure local intratumor response to chemotherapy and other clinically relevant drugs in ovarian, fallopian tube, and primary peritoneal cancer. The name of the study intervention involved in this study is: -implantable microdevice

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Nov 2022

open study

This multinational, investigator-initiated registry aims to investigate clinical outcomes of patients undergoing transcatheter mitral valve replacement (TMVR). The registry primarily focuses on patients treated with TMVR in real-world clinical practice. Patients evaluated for TMVR but not undergoing the procedure are no longer systematically included. Historical data may include such patients who subsequently underwent alternative treatments, including transcatheter edge-to-edge repair, mitral valve surgery, or medical/conservative therapy.

Type: Observational

Start Date: Nov 2020

open study

This is a multi-arm phase II platform-basket screening study designed to test multiple experimental therapies simultaneously in patients with NF2-related schwannomatosis (NF2-SWN, formerly known as neurofibromatosis type 2) with associated progressive tumors of vestibular schwannomas (VS), non-vestibular schwannomas (non-VS), meningiomas, and ependymomas. This Master Study is being conducted as a "basket" study that may allow people with multiple tumor types associated with NF2-SWN to receive new drugs throughout this study. Embedded within the Master Study are individual drug substudies. - Investigational Drug Sub-study A: Brigatinib - Investigational Drug Sub-study B: Neratinib - Investigational Drug Sub-study C: Retifanlimab plus bevacizumab

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jun 2020

open study

This will be a prospective, open-label, single-arm, multi-center, pilot study to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and preliminary efficacy of low-intensity focused ultrasound (LIFU) neuromodulation using NaviFUS System in patients with drug-resistant unilateral or bilateral temporal lobe epilepsy (DR-TLE).

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Sep 2024

open study

To establish the effectiveness and tolerability of standard of care anti-anginal treatment (beta-blocker and calcium channel blocker medications) in older adults with symptomatic Stable Ischemic Heart Disease (SIHD) and multiple chronic conditions (MCC).

Type: Interventional

Start Date: May 2023

open study

PRECIDENTD is a randomized, open label, pragmatic clinical trial designed to compare rates of the total number of cardiovascular, kidney, and death events among two alternative treatments for patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and either established atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) or at high risk for ASCVD. To accomplish this objective, we will randomly assign 6,000 patients with established T2D and ASCVD or high-risk for ASCVD in a 1:1 allocation to sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitor (SGLT2i) or glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RA). Participants will be followed for the occurrence of the trial primary endpoint of the total (first and recurrent) number of episodes of myocardial infarction (MI), stroke, arterial revascularization, hospitalization for heart failure, development of end-stage kidney disease, kidney transplantation, and mortality, counting all events from randomization until end of study.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Sep 2022

open study

This research study involves testing the safety and efficacy of an investigational intervention for patients with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) that has spread, or metastasized, to other parts the body and is PD-L1-negative. The names of the study interventions involved in this study are: - Sacituzumab govitecan (Trodelvy™;IMMU-132) - Pembrolizumab (Keytruda®; MK-3475)

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jul 2020

open study

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn how well the shingles vaccine (Shingrix) works and how safe it is in adults with kidney failure who are waiting for a kidney transplant, including those who later receive a transplant. The study also aims to find out whether giving an extra (third) dose of the vaccine after transplant improves protection. The main questions it aims to answer are: How strong is the body's immune response to the vaccine at different time points (about 1 month, 2 years, and 3 years after vaccination) in people waiting for a kidney transplant? Does a third dose of the vaccine after transplant improve the immune response compared to not receiving a third dose? How long does protection from the vaccine last before and after transplant? How safe is the vaccine in this group, including whether it affects transplant-related immune markers? Researchers will compare people who receive a third dose of the vaccine after transplant to those who do not receive a third dose, as well as to results from similar groups studied in the past, to see if the extra dose improves immune protection. Participants will: Be screened to see if they can take part in the study Attend about 3 to 6 study visits over approximately 30 to 37 months Receive two doses of the shingles vaccine if they have not already been vaccinated, or complete study assessments if they were vaccinated before joining If they receive a kidney transplant during the study, be randomly assigned (by chance) to receive either a third dose of the vaccine or no additional dose Complete questionnaires, have physical exams if needed, and provide blood (and urine, if applicable) samples at study visits Take part in follow-up visits to check immune response and safety, with the option to allow samples to be stored for future research Shingrix is approved for adults aged 50 and older and for younger adults with weakened immune systems. However, giving a third dose after a kidney transplant is not standard practice and is being studied in this trial.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Mar 2023

open study