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 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 purpose of the study is to explore the safety and effects of the study drug (PF-08046876) in people diagnosed with advanced cancer of the bladder, lung, head and neck, esophagus, or pancreas. PF-08046876 is an investigational anticancer therapy called an 'antibody drug conjugate' or 'ADC'. ADCs are anticancer drugs designed to stick to cancer cells and kill them. The study drug will be given to participants through a needle in a vein (intravenous infusion). This study includes multiple parts. In the first part of the study, there will be different groups of people receiving different doses of the study drug. The study may also test different schedules.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Aug 2025

open study

The primary objective of this trial is to demonstrate that maridebart cafraglutide is superior to placebo when given as an adjunct to standard of care with respect to reducing cardiovascular (CV) morbidity and mortality.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jul 2025

open study

The ELEVATE III Pivotal Study is a prospective, multi-center, open-label, interventional, randomized, controlled study with an active control group. The study is intended to assess the safety and efficacy of the Elevate™ percutaneous Left Ventricular Assist Device System in patients referred to high-risk percutaneous coronary interventions (HR-PCI).

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jul 2025

open study

In this study, researchers will learn more about the use of felzartamab in participants with immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN). IgAN is a kidney disease caused by the buildup of an antibody called IgA in the kidneys over time. In people with IgAN, abnormal IgA and other antibodies form clusters that build up in the small filters of the kidneys, which leads to inflammation and damage. Felzartamab is designed to target certain immune cells that produce these abnormal antibodies. This study will focus on participants who have protein in their urine (proteinuria) as a result of damaged kidneys. The main goal of the study is to learn about the effect felzartamab has on proteinuria. The main question that researchers want to answer is: • How much does the amount of protein in the urine change from the start of the study to Week 36? Researchers will learn about the effect felzartamab has on the kidneys' ability to filter blood. They will also learn more about the safety of felzartamab and how it is processed by the body. The study will be done as follows: - Participants will be screened to check if they can join the study. - Participants will be randomized to receive either felzartamab or a placebo. A placebo looks like the study drug but contains no real medicine. - Neither the researchers nor the participants will know what the participants will receive. - Participants will receive felzartamab or placebo as intravenous (IV) infusions. The treatment period will last 24 weeks. - Afterwards, participants will enter a follow-up period which will last 80 weeks. - In total, participants will have 17 study visits. Participants will stay in the study for about 2 years.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: May 2025

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

The purpose of this research study is to see if the study drugs abemaciclib and letrozole are effective and safe for participants with estrogen-receptor positive (ER+), mismatch repair proficient, tumor protein p53 (TP53) wild-type endometrial cancer. The names of the study drugs involved in this study are: - Abemaciclib (a type of cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitor) - Letrozole (a type of aromatase inhibitor)

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Sep 2024

open study

The main purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of lebrikizumab in participants with chronic rhinosinusitis and nasal polyps treated with intranasal corticosteroids. The study will last about 18 months.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Apr 2024

open study

The goal of this prospective cohort study is to assess potential differences in sleep biomarkers in older adult patients undergoing major orthopedic surgery. The main questions it aims to answer are: 1. To define sleep/circadian biomarkers of delirium (sleep duration, regularity, stability and timing of rhythm) in a prospective observational study. 2. To determine if plasma Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology/inflammatory burden interacts with or moderates the relationship between a sleep/circadian biomarker and post-operative delirium (POD) risk. 3. To determine whether sleep/circadian regulation interacts with the genetic risk of AD to influence POD/cognitive decline. Participants will be asked to: 1. Donate several blood samples both intraoperatively and postoperatively 2. Complete baseline and postoperative neurocognitive assessments 3. Wear an actigraphy data collection watch for the two weeks prior to their surgery

Type: Observational

Start Date: Sep 2023

open study

The goal of this study is to understand the interaction between the circadian system and physical activity. Participants will: - complete 2 inpatient stays - perform moderate exercise - be provided with identical meals - have frequent blood draws - provide urine and saliva samples

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Oct 2024

open study

The goal of this study is to find out if the experimental product, sacituzumab govitecan-hziy (SG) in combination with pembrolizumab given after surgery, is effective and safe compared to the treatment of physician's choice (TPC) which includes either pembrolizumab or pembrolizumab plus capecitabine in participants with triple negative breast cancer that still remains after surgery and pre-surgical treatment.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Dec 2022

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

To compile characteristics of real-world clinical outcomes for Boston Scientific commercially approved neurostimulation systems for pain in routine clinical practice, when used according to the applicable Instructions for Use - and - To evaluate the economic value and technical performance of Boston Scientific commercially approved neurostimulation systems for pain in routine clinical practice

Type: Observational

Start Date: Nov 2012

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 purpose of this study is to assess the efficacy and safety of trontinemab in participants with early symptomatic Alzheimer's disease (AD) (mild cognitive impairment [MCI] to mild dementia due to AD).

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Sep 2025

open study

The goal of this research study is to evaluate how well and safely the study drugs sasanlimab, palbociclib, and axitinib work for treatment of participants with advanced clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) or translocation renal cell carcinoma (tRCC). The name of the study drugs involved in this research study is: - Sasanlimab (a type of monoclonal antibody) - Palbociclib (a type of kinase inhibitor) - Axitinib (a type of Vascular endothelial growth factor inhibitor)

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Nov 2025

open study

This is a post-market, prospective, controlled, multicenter clinical study to evaluate radiographic fusion and clinical outcomes of FIBERGRAFT™ Aeridyan Matrix bone graft substitute in subjects who undergo a 1-3 level instrumented lumbar posterolateral fusion surgery. This clinical study will be conducted at up to 10 clinical sites within the United States.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Aug 2025

open study

The purpose of this research is to collect blood samples and data from kidney transplant patients. The samples and data will be used for research and development of non-invasive test to detect donor-derived cell-free DNA (dd-cfDNA) in kidney transplant patients to evaluate the status of the transplanted organ.

Type: Observational

Start Date: Nov 2025

open study

AGENT DCB STANCE is a prospective, multicenter, open-label, 1:1 randomized controlled study designed to assess the safety and effectiveness of a treatment strategy with the AGENT Drug-Coated Balloon compared to standard of care percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) treatment with drug eluting stent (DES) and/or balloon angioplasty in patients with de novo coronary lesions. Subjects must have a de novo target lesion located in a native coronary artery.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Aug 2025

open study

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if a new screening approach including an artificial intelligence algorithm that analyzes fundus photographs, measurement of eye pressure and visual field testing works to screen for glaucoma. Participants will: Have an image of their fundus (back of the eye) taken as part of their diabetic eye screening Have a measurement of their eye pressure If needed, have a test of their side vision using a headset

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jul 2025

open study

Transthyretin amyloidosis (ATTR) is a disease where the normally occurring transthyretin (TTR) protein falls apart and forms amyloid, a sticky plaque-like substance that accumulates in different organs in the body and can cause damage to the organ. There are two ways that the TTR protein can fall apart. One way occurs as a person ages, where the normal TTR protein can fall apart and form amyloid that may no longer be sufficiently cleared by the body. This type of ATTR is known as wild-type ATTR (ATTRwt). The other way occurs when a person inherits a defective TTR gene that causes the TTR protein to spontaneously fall apart. This form of the disease is known as variant ATTR (ATTRv) and can be detected in adults by a genetic test of their TTR gene before they age. Amyloid build-up in the heart causes the heart wall to become thick and stiff and can result in heart failure and even death. Accumulation of TTR amyloid in the heart is known as transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy or ATTR-CM. Amyloid can also deposit in the nerve tissues leading to nerve problems. Accumulation of TTR in the nerves is known as transthyretin amyloid polyneuropathy or ATTR-PN. Acoramidis is an experimental drug designed to bind tightly to TTR in the blood and stabilize its structure, so it does not form the harmful amyloid plaques that can cause damage to organs. This study is intended to determine if treatment with acoramidis in participants with ATTRv who have not yet developed any symptoms of disease can prevent or delay the development of ATTR-CM or ATTR-PN disease. If adults with an inherited defective TTR gene are treated early before any of the symptoms of disease have developed, it may be possible to delay the onset or prevent the disease entirely.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: May 2025

open study

This is a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial to compare the effectiveness of IV oxytocin infusion to placebo on peri-operative opioid consumption and reducing post-operative pain following a minimally invasive hysterectomy under general anesthesia.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jun 2025

open study

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of lutetium (177Lu) vipivotide tetraxetan (AAA617) in participants with oligometastatic prostate cancer (OMPC) progressing after definitive therapy to their primary tumor. The data generated from this study will provide evidence for the treatment of AAA617 in early-stage prostate cancer patients to control recurrent tumor from progressing to fatal metastatic disease while preserving quality of life by delaying treatment with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT).

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Mar 2024

open study

This study seeks to link a group of hospitals to measure and share the rates of diagnostic errors, to understand underlying causes of diagnostic errors, and develop ways that hospitals, clinicians, and patients can work together to avoid diagnostic errors and harms due to those errors. The investigators will test how data sharing and collaboration improve diagnostic processes and develop approaches which can be sustained into the future. The approach represents a novel application of rigorous outcome adjudication to the problem of inpatient diagnostic errors using a learning health system model.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Nov 2023

open study