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

To evaluate workflow and outcomes of iVATS and standard VATS for small pulmonary nodules. The outcomes of the patients will be evaluated separately as there will be no direct comparison of the two arms.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Sep 2018

open study

Patients admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) after thoracic surgery often experience complications related to immobility, such as muscle weakness, pulmonary issues, and longer recovery times. Early mobilization has been shown to improve outcomes, but its implementation is often limited by patient fragility and staff resources. This study will test the safety and feasibility of using the Atalante X, a self-balancing exoskeleton, in the Thoracic Surgical ICU at Brigham and Women's Hospital. The exoskeleton is designed to support patients in standing and walking, even if they have limited strength or balance, thereby reducing the physical burden on healthcare staff and increasing patient mobility. Eligible participants are adults recovering from thoracic surgery, who are debilitated (Johns Hopkins Highest Level of Mobility scale ≤ 5). Each participant will undergo up to 2-3 exoskeleton sessions per week for a maximum of 2 weeks. Sessions will be personalized, with progressive standing time and walking depending on patient tolerance. The primary goal is to evaluate the safety of exoskeleton use, measured by adverse events such as skin lesions, cardiovascular instability, or accidental device-related issues. The secondary goals are to evaluate: Feasibility (ability to deliver sessions as planned, duration of standing/walking, level of assistance needed), Usability (patient and staff satisfaction, ease of donning/doffing, staff workload), and Preliminary effectiveness (improvement in mobility scores at discharge). Results will provide early insights into whether robotic exoskeletons can be safely integrated into ICU rehabilitation programs after thoracic surgery.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Oct 2025

open study

This study is investigating the effects on immune cells of injecting the influenza vaccine (also known as "flu shot") into cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC) tumors prior to having standard-of-care Mohs excision surgery. The study will help understand if the addition of the influenza vaccine could improve the immune system response against the cancer. The names of the study drug involved in this study is: -Fluzone Influenza vaccine (flu shot)

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Nov 2024

open study

This study is a clinical trial being done to investigate the efficacy of drug BRS201 as a treatment in patients with acute ulcerative colitis. Patients who qualify are adults who have not responded to treatments for their severe ulcerative colitis. Participation in this study will take 12 weeks long and the study is structured as an open-label pilot study in which participants will take the study drug for 4 weeks in the form of an oral medication. Participation may also involve receiving an IV dose of the medication. The study will require participants to attend 8 study visits, all of which will be conducted at a study site. Participation will involve taking an oral medication twice daily, tracking the medication in a log, and getting blood drawn and giving a stool and urine sample for a few lab tests throughout the study. Participants may also undergo a flexible sigmoidoscopy at the beginning and end of the study.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Sep 2025

open study

The overall objective of the RESTORATiVE303 study is to evaluate the safety and the Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) recurrence rate at Week 8 in participants who receive a 14-day course of VE303 or matching placebo. The objectives and endpoints are identical for Stage 1 (recurrent CDI) and Stage 2 (high-risk primary CDI).

Type: Interventional

Start Date: May 2024

open study

The purpose of this research study is to learn more about lung cancer (NSCLC or SCLC) diagnosed in adults at ages 45 or younger.

Type: Observational

Start Date: Jan 2023

open study

Femoro-acetabular impingement is a well known cause of damage to the acetabular labrum and chondrolabral junction. Additionally, it has been proposed that disruption of hip biomechanics resulting from a labral tear causes a faster progression towards osteoarthritis (OA). This progression has been observed to begin with breakdown of the chondrolabral junction with later development of diffuse osteoarthritis. Use of hip arthroscopy has increased dramatically in recent years to treat symptomatic labral tears and potentially avoid the morbidity and cost associated with hip osteoarthritis. Correction of labral pathology presents a technical challenge and many techniques currently exist. Increased understanding of the structure-functional relationship dictated by labral anatomy has led to the development of methods aimed at restoring functional anatomy by re-establishing the labrum's native position and contour on the rim of the acetabulum. Therefore, akin to repairing a torn meniscus in the knee, restoring the anatomic footprint of a torn labrum will reconstitute normal joint biomechanics. Despite the advances in techniques for labral repair, strategies for mitigating or repairing damage to the chondrolabral junction do not yet exist. This area has been shown to consist of hyaline and fibro cartilage. Many techniques for cartilage repair exist, although most are not feasible due to technical challenges specific to the hip joint. The management of articular cartilage defects is one of the most challenging clinical problems for orthopaedic surgeons. Articular cartilage has a limited intrinsic healing capacity, and pathology frequently results in gradual tissue deterioration. Currently, the standard surgical intervention for end-stage degenerative joint pathology is total joint replacement. Early surgical interventions for symptomatic cartilage lesions including cell based therapies such as autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI), bone marrow aspirate concentrate (BMAC) implantation, or microfracture have been suggested to restore normal joint congruity and minimize further joint deterioration. Techniques such as ACI, which have been successfully used in the knee joint, have limited application in the hip due to the technical difficulties of open procedures.

Type: Observational

Start Date: Sep 2019

open study

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is often caused by cigarette smoking, but genetic predisposition also influences COPD susceptibility. The purpose of this study is to identify genetic factors that predispose some individuals to develop COPD.

Type: Observational

Start Date: Jul 1994

open study

Glioblastoma (GBM) is an aggressive malignancy of the central nervous system. Older adults with GBM have a unique constellation of medical, psychosocial, and supportive care needs. To address these challenges, prior work has evaluated the feasibility of hypofractionation, a treatment approach delivering fewer, larger radiation dosages over a shorter time period. Common hypofractionated regimens deliver a lower biologically equivalent radiation dose than the conventional regimens used for younger adults. Whether dose escalated hypofractionation can further improve outcomes in older adults remains unclear. This will be a hybrid randomized control trial comparing the efficacy and safety of dose-escalated and standard hypofractionated radiotherapy among older adults with newly-diagnosed glioblastoma compared to standard three-week course. This research study involves the administration of radiation therapy. Radiation will either be delivered at the standard daily dose or at an increased daily dose over a three weeks course of radiation treatment. Research study procedures will include a screening evaluation to assess eligibility, as well as clinical visits for radiation delivery and to assess symptoms during treatment and at scheduled follow-up times. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of the two arms of the trial: 1. Standard hypofractionated radiation over 3 weeks 2. Dose-escalated hypofractionated radiation over 3 weeks

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Apr 2025

open study

The is a pilot, 12-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial of individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD) newly initiating buprenorphine to receive either weekly injections of semaglutide (n=23) or matching placebo (n=23). The primary aim is to determine the effects of semaglutide on cue-reactivity among individuals with OUD. The secondary aim is to assess the preliminary efficacy, safety, and tolerability of semaglutide for OUD.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jun 2025

open study

This research study is evaluating whether a new care delivery program that provides access to home blood transfusions in hospice (i.e, HEME-Hospice) compared to regular standard of care improves quality of life, mood, and end-of-life health care utilization for patients with hematologic malignancies.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Sep 2025

open study

The primary objective of this research is to collect pilot data that demonstrates that proposed neural, psychophysiological and subjective markers measured before, during, and after treatment change over the course of Prolonged Exposure therapy (PE) for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The aims of the study are to: (1) examine theoretically informed mechanisms as pretreatment predictors of PE treatment efficacy, (2) characterize how neural, psychophysiological, and subjective markers measured before, during, and after treatment change over the course of PE, and (3) examine proposed mechanisms of change as measures of PE treatment efficacy. This is a longitudinal study of predictors of exposure therapy efficacy that will be conducted within the context of a standard 10 session PE treatment trial, with independent multimodal assessment batteries administered at pre-treatment, mid-treatment, post-treatment, and at 1-month follow-up. This data will be used to support a future NIMH and/or VA grant submission.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Apr 2023

open study

The primary aim is to test whether abatacept, as compared to placebo, is associated with a reduction in major adverse cardiac events (MACE) among participants hospitalized with myocarditis secondary to an immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI). The primary outcome, MACE, is a composite of first occurrence of cardiovascular death, non-fatal sudden cardiac arrest, cardiogenic shock, significant ventricular arrythmias, significant bradyarrythmias, or incident heart failure.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jul 2022

open study

To assess the feasibility of an expedited referral process for the obese endometrial cancer or EIN patient from her gynecologic oncologist to the Brigham Center for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (CMBS) in order to undergo concurrent weight loss surgery and hysterectomy within 8 weeks of first appointment with a gynecologic oncologist (or 12 weeks for EIN patients).

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Aug 2021

open study

This study aims to examine the clinical profile/anatomical characteristics and natural history of patients who subsequently fail screening for transcatheter mitral valve intervention (TMVI).

Type: Observational [Patient Registry]

Start Date: Aug 2021

open study

Clostridioides difficile (C. difficile) is the most common healthcare-associated pathogen, causing >500,000 infections and >29,000 deaths per year in the US. Traditional approaches to reduce hospital-onset CDI focus on identifying, isolating, and treating symptomatic patients to prevent transmission to other patients. Recent genomic epidemiology studies, however, suggest that most hospital-onset CDI cases are attributable to asymptomatic carriers who either progress from colonization to active infection themselves or transmit C. difficile to other patients while asymptomatic. This trial will evaluate an intervention to pre-emptively identify asymptomatic C. difficile carriers and then implement a patient-tailored prevention package to protect the carrier from progression to active infection and to prevent transmission from the carrier to other patients.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jul 2022

open study

This research study is designed to allow health care professionals and researchers to answer many questions about whether a new type of physical therapy called blood flow restriction training (called BFRT) will improve recovery for those with patellar instability.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Sep 2020

open study

The aim of this research study is to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of a combination of immunotherapy, using a drug called toripalimab, with chemotherapy drugs, Carboplatin and Docetaxel, as a possible treatment before surgery for sinonasal cancers. The names of the study drugs used in this research study are: - Toripalimab (a type of monoclonal antibody) - Carboplatin (a type of antineoplastic agent) - Docetaxel (a type of antineoplastic agent) - Cisplatin (a type of antineoplastic agent)

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jun 2025

open study

Immunotherapies have improved cancer outcomes, but have a unique profile of immune-related adverse events (irAEs). Biorepositories have been established to collect data and samples to help improve our understanding of irAEs, however identifying patients who are eligible for these biorepositories in a timely fashion can be challenging. The goal of this study is to determine if an informatics system for automated irAE detection can improve registration to a prospective irAE biorepository (NCT04242095). The informatics system automatically "reads" participants' electronic health records (EHRs) and determines whether that patient may be experiencing an irAE. The main questions it aims to answer are: - Is it feasible to implement an informatics system for daily analysis of EHR data to detect irAEs? - Does the automated irAE detection system improve registration rates to an irAE biorepository at our institution following an eligible irAE? Researchers will compare standard irAE monitoring to informatics-assisted irAE monitoring to see if using the informatics system increases the registration rate and improves data entry efficiency and quality. Participants will: - Be randomly assigned to standard monitoring or informatics-assisted monitoring for irAE detection. - Have their EHR reviewed to collect demographic, medical, and cancer treatment history. - Be monitored for irAEs through daily automated analysis of their EHR data for up to 12 months or until registration in the biorepository.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jun 2025

open study

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if the Fenestrated TREO Stent-Graft System works to treat abdominal aneurysms in adults. An abdominal aneurysm is a bulge in the main blood vessel (the aorta) which carries blood from the heart, through the chest and abdomen. It will also learn about the safety of Fenestrated TREO Stent-Graft System. The main question it aims to answer is: Can the the Fenestrated TREO Stent-Graft System be used to treat participants with a specific type of abdominal aneurysm called a juxtarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm? Participants will: Have the the Fenestrated TREO Stent-Graft System implanted via an endovascular surgical procedure and visit the hospital for a follow up period of 5 years, for checkups, tests and imaging scans.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Nov 2025

open study

The aim of this study is to design a sleep and mindfulness intervention to improve sleep, quality of life, and cognitive function among older adults.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jan 2025

open study

The goal is to look for qualitative differences in visual search behavior when one search is performed many times in a row compared to when multiple search tasks are intermixed. Four search tasks are tested. The target is the same in every task but the types of distractors change from task to task. In the Mixed condition, the four tasks are randomly changed from trial to trial. In the Blocked condition, each task is run as a block of 100 trials.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jun 2024

open study

This study is being done to find out if metformin is effective at reducing pain by delaying the onset of post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA) after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. This research study will compare metformin to placebo. The placebo tablet looks exactly like metformin, but contains no metformin. Placebos are used in research studies to see if the results are due to the study drug or due to other reasons. Metformin is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat type II diabetes. Notably, it also has anti-inflammatory effects, suggesting it could benefit people who have an ACL injury and are undergoing ACL reconstruction.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: May 2024

open study

Study to evaluate the feasibility, safety and performance of the HighLife trans-septal Transcatheter Mitral Valve in patients with moderate-severe and severe mitral regurgitation who are at high risk for surgical treatment.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jul 2020

open study

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is common and has major health implications but treatment options are limited. Some OSA patients with low arousal threshold wake up prematurely during an obstructive event and do not have time for spontaneous upper airway (UA) dilator muscle recruitment. As a consequence they are exposed to apnea and hypopnea cycling. In this protocol the investigators will test the effect of trazodone administered before sleep on OSA traits and OSA severity during sleep.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jan 2024

open study