Vanderbilt Clinical Trials

The 2021 ACR RA treatment guideline, based on widely acknowledged low to moderate quality evidence, recommends switching to a non-tumor necrosis factor (TNFi) biologic (choose among existing medications, currently, rituximab, abatacept, tocilizumab, or sarilumab) or a targeted synthetic DMARD arm (tsDMARD; choose among existing medications, currently, tofacitinib, baricitinib, upadacitinib) in patients with active RA despite the use of a TNFi-biologic. In practice, most patients receive another TNFi-biologic, i.e., a second TNFi-biologic first. This is not based on solid evidence, but on arbitrary algorithms often proposed by health insurance plans, and/or physician experience and habit (TNFis launched 22 yrs ago vs. the first tsDMARD 8 years ago vs. first non-TNF-biologic launched 17 years ago). This study will fill a critical knowledge gap by generating CER data for important PROs between these treatment options, switching to a non-TNFi biologic or a tsDMARD in patients with active RA despite the use of a TNFi-biologic.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Sep 2021

open study

This is a single-arm, open label, multicenter Phase 1/2 study evaluating ALLO-501A in adult subjects with R/R LBCL and CLL/SLL. The purpose of the ALPHA2 study is to assess the safety, efficacy, and cell kinetics of ALLO-501A in adults with relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma and assess the safety of ALLO-501A in adults with relapsed or refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL) after a lymphodepletion regimen comprising fludarabine, cyclophosphamide, and ALLO-647.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: May 2020

open study

Persons with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) have higher risk of developing fatty liver disease (NAFLD) than HIV-negative persons but the reasons for this discrepancy are not known. Changes in the intestinal microbiome may contribute to the development of NAFLD in persons with HIV (PWH) through impairment of barrier function of the intestinal wall and by producing metabolites that are harmful to the liver. This project will test the hypothesis that HIV-related NAFLD is associated with differences in the intestinal microbiome and that supplementation with probiotic and prebiotic fiber will lead to improvements in markers of NAFLD in PWH.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Apr 2024

open study

This prospective randomized clinical trial will compare outcomes between patients treated primarily with a prophylactic antibiotic coated nail and those treated with traditional standard of care intramedullary (IM) nailing.

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

A prospective, single-arm, multi-center study designed to gather additional information on the LimFlow System.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Dec 2022

open study

A study to evaluate if the randomized addition of venetoclax to a chemotherapy backbone (fludarabine/cytarabine/gemtuzumab ozogamicin [GO]) improves survival of children/adolescents/young adults with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in 1st relapse who are unable to receive additional anthracyclines, or in 2nd relapse.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Oct 2022

open study

This is a prospective, multi-center, Phase II study of hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) using human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-mismatched unrelated donors (MMUD) for peripheral blood stem cell transplant in adults and bone marrow stem cell transplant in children. Post-transplant cyclophosphamide (PTCy), tacrolimus and mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) will be used for for graft versus host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis. This trial will study how well this treatment works in patients with hematologic malignancies.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Sep 2021

open study

This phase III trial compares the effects of nivolumab with chemo-immunotherapy versus chemo-immunotherapy alone in treating patients with newly diagnosed primary mediastinal B-cell lymphoma (PMBCL). Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, such as nivolumab, may help the body's immune system attack the cancer, and may interfere with the ability of cancer cells to grow and spread. Treatment for PMBCL involves chemotherapy combined with an immunotherapy called rituximab. Chemotherapy drugs work in different ways to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells, by stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading. Rituximab is a monoclonal antibody. It binds to a protein called CD20, which is found on B cells (a type of white blood cell) and some types of cancer cells. This may help the immune system kill cancer cells. Giving nivolumab with chemo-immunotherapy may help treat patients with PMBCL.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Oct 2021

open study

This phase II trial studies how well the combination of avelumab with liposomal doxorubicin with or without binimetinib, or the combination of avelumab with sacituzumab govitecan works in treating patients with triple negative breast cancer that is stage IV or is not able to be removed by surgery (unresectable) and has come back (recurrent). Immunotherapy with checkpoint inhibitors like avelumab require activation of the patient's immune system. This trial includes a two week induction or lead-in of medications that can stimulate the immune system. It is our hope that this induction will improve the response to immunotherapy with avelumab. One treatment, sacituzumab Govitecan, is a monoclonal antibody called sacituzumab linked to a chemotherapy drug called SN-38. Sacituzumab govitecan is a form of targeted therapy because it attaches to specific molecules (receptors) on the surface of tumor cells, known as Tumor-associated calcium signal transducer 2 (TROP2) receptors, and delivers SN-38 to kill them. Another treatment, liposomal doxorubicin, is a form of the anticancer drug doxorubicin that is contained in very tiny, fat-like particles. It may have fewer side effects and work better than doxorubicin, and may enhance factors associated with immune response. The third medication is called binimetinib, which may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth, and may help activate the immune system. It is not yet known whether giving avelumab in combination with liposomal doxorubicin with or without binimetinib, or the combination of avelumab with sacituzumab govitecan will work better in treating patients with triple negative breast cancer.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jul 2019

open study

This is a multi-center, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical trial. The primary focus of the study is the evaluation of the effectiveness of treatment with megestrol as part of a 24 week behavioral feeding protocol in transitioning from tube to oral feedings in a pediatric population. Approximately 60 pediatric subjects matching the criteria for eligibility will be enrolled in the study and randomized to receive either megestrol (n=30) or placebo (n=30).

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Aug 2019

open study

This study is designed to evaluate bridge-enhanced ACL restoration (BEAR), a new surgical technique for repairing knees injured by a tear of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) that promotes reattachment and healing of the ACL using a blood-enriched implant. BEAR will be compared to bone to patellar tendon to bone autograft (BPTB) reconstruction, a standard ACL surgical reconstruction technique that replaces a torn portion of the ACL with transplanted patellar tendon tissue, and thus requires additional invasive patellar tendon removal and reuse as a portion of the ACL surgery, in a two group randomized clinical trial (RCT) in which participants will have equal chance of receiving BEAR or BPTB reconstruction. The BEAR technique is FDA approved and involves surgically placing a sponge (the BEAR implant) between the torn ends of the ACL, providing an absorbable implant for the ligament ends to grow into. The investigators hypothesize that the ACL repair with BEAR technology will achieve results not appreciably worse than BPTB reconstruction, with a reduced burden of invasive surgery, when assessed over the first two post-operative years. Animal studies suggest BEAR may also ameliorate longer-term premature osteoarthritis of the knee, a common consequence of ACL reconstruction surgery. However, no human data yet support that, and this trial will conclude before such a benefit can be observed. All patients 18-55 years of age who are candidates for ACL surgery within 50 days of the ACL injury and who present to surgeons participating in the study will be offered participation in the trial. Patients will be randomized and will undergo specified rehabilitation protocols post-operatively with primary assessments of knee laxity and patient reported measures at 6 months, 1 year, and 2 years.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Aug 2021

open study

HDClarity will seek at least 2500 research participants at different stages of Huntington's disease (HD). The primary objective is to collect a high quality CSF sample for evaluation of biomarkers and pathways that will enable the development of novel treatments for HD. The secondary objective is to generate a high quality plasma sample collection matching the CSF collections, which will also be used to evaluate biomarkers and pathways of relevance to HD research and development.

Type: Observational

Start Date: Jan 2017

open study

To evaluate the safety and efficacy of the ProTractX3™ DCB for the treatment of benign esophageal strictures.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Dec 2023

open study

This study is designed to advance the promising yet underutilized research on retrieval practice by evaluating the effectiveness and efficiency of two key retrieval practice features (feedback and spacing). The study uses four single case adapted alternating treatments studies, each with four 5- to 8-year-old children who are deaf and hard of hearing to evaluate the effects of feedback and spacing on the efficiency of word learning and retention.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Feb 2023

open study

This Phase 1, multicenter, open-label, dose escalation study is designed to assess the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics (PK), pharmacodynamics (PD), and preliminary clinical activity of FHD-286 administered orally as monotherapy or combination therapy, in subjects with advanced hematologic malignancies.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jun 2021

open study

The purpose of this study is to collect data on the performance of the Biodesign® Hernia Graft when used to reinforce soft tissues during ventral hernia repair.

Type: Observational

Start Date: Nov 2020

open study

The purpose of the Connect® Myeloid disease registry is to provide unique insights into treatment decisions and treatment patterns as they relate to clinical outcomes of patients with myeloid diseases in routine clinical practice. This disease registry will also evaluate molecular and cellular markers that may provide further prognostic classification which may or may not be predictive of therapy and clinical outcomes.

Type: Observational [Patient Registry]

Start Date: Dec 2013

open study

The main purpose of this 12-week study is to see if a new combination of treatments can help older adults reduce benzodiazepine or related medication use. The treatment combination consists of 1) medical provider visits to gradually reduce the medication dose over 12 weeks, 2) acupuncture treatments, and 3) private yoga classes. Participants will be offered weekly visits for 12 weeks to receive combined treatments. Participants will be provided surveys before, during, and after the study to learn about their experience of the treatments. At the end of the study, participants will be invited to participate in a focus group to learn about their experience in the study.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Dec 2023

open study

This study is an exploratory, multicenter study of up to 300 subjects diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea who are being evaluated for airway surgery. Subjects will undergo standard evaluation for airway surgery as part of standard of care. In addition to the standard airway assessment, a simple, non-invasive measurement of the width of the inside of each subjects mouth will be performed. This measurement takes 2-3 minutes to perform.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: May 2022

open study

Novel blood-based biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease (AD), such as plasma levels of tau phosphorylated at threonine 181 (p-tau181), have shown great promise in detecting early AD pathology. While current studies point to this biomarker as having great clinical utility, one necessary step before clinical implementation is developing safe and effective methods for disclosure of results. Past risk disclosure studies have shown that disclosing risk for AD based on genetics or amyloid status is safe, but these studies have largely focused on cognitively unimpaired individuals. This study seeks to develop comprehensible educational materials to aid risk disclosure and examine the effect of risk disclosure based on plasma p-tau181 results in a group of participants with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) at imminent risk of converting to dementia. First, educational materials will be developed in collaboration with health communication experts and then refined in focus groups made up of individuals with MCI. Educational materials will be analyzed on several key reading and comprehensibility metrics and will include personalized risk estimate based on a well-accepted risk algorithm (Cullen, et al., 2021). Next, these educational materials will be utilized to disclose risk in a randomized controlled trial with an active control arm receiving disclosure based on age, sex, and cognitive status (based on Mini-Mental State Examination), meant to mimic common methods of clinical diagnostic and prognostic decision making, and an intervention arm receiving disclosure based on the above factors plus plasma p-tau181 results. Outcomes will include measures of comprehension and psychological well-being (anxiety, depression, hopelessness, and distress) and will be assessed immediately after risk disclosure and again at six-month follow-up. It is hypothesized that risk disclosure based on plasma p-tau181 is not more psychologically harmful or less comprehensible than disclosure based on demographic factors and MMSE. This pilot study will provide a necessary step towards moving plasma p-tau biomarkers towards safe clinical implementation and will develop educational materials that can be utilized in future studies and clinical practice.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Sep 2022

open study

ARTFL LEFFTDS Longitudinal Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration (ALLFTD) represents the formalized integration of ARTFL (U54 NS092089; funded through 2019) and LEFFTDS (U01 AG045390; funded through 2019) as a single North American research consortium to study FTLD for 2019 and beyond.

Type: Observational

Start Date: Mar 2020

open study

The purpose of this study is to learn more about the effects of midodrine and droxidopa, two medications used for the treatment of orthostatic hypotension (low blood pressure on standing), on the veins of the abdomen of patients with autonomic failure. The study will be conducted at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and consists of 2 parts: a screening and 2 testing days. The total length of the study will be about 5 days. About 34 participants will be screened for the study.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Sep 2016

open study

The Vanderbilt Atrial Fibrillation Ablation registry (VAFAR) is a prospective clinical and genetic biorepository that systematically enrolls patients undergoing atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation. The registry was started in 2011 and has greater than 1000 AF ablation records with stored blood and DNA samples. The goals of VAFAR are to: 1) identify clinical, genetic, and serological predictors of response to AF ablation in order to improve patient selection, and 2) to provide a resource for translational research investigating the electrophysiologic mechanisms of AF pathogenesis.

Type: Observational [Patient Registry]

Start Date: Oct 2011

open study

Bacterial blood stream infections are common and life-threatening. Bloodstream infections have historically been identified using blood cultures, which often take 24-72 hours to result and are imperfectly sensitive. Early administration of antimicrobial therapy is a fundamental component of the management of adults presenting to the hospital with a suspected bloodstream infection and/or sepsis. But because blood cultures frequently take 24-72 hours to result, patients are typically treated with empiric, broad spectrum antibiotics. In a meta-analysis of sepsis studies, empirical antibiotic therapy was inappropriate for the organism that ultimately grew in culture in almost half of patients. Thus, patients are commonly exposed to unnecessary antibiotics without evidence of infection or with evidence of infection requiring narrow antibiotic selection. For example, current guidelines recommend the use of empiric intravenous vancomycin as coverage for a bloodstream infection caused by the bacterial pathogen methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA). Vancomycin requires careful monitoring due to its narrow therapeutic range and high risk of toxicity. Administration of vancomycin to patients who do not have MRSA can lead to avoidable adverse drug events and costs, as well as drive antimicrobial resistance. There has been increasing interest in using rapid diagnostic tests that identify bacteria directly from whole blood samples without relying on growth in culture, referred to as "direct-from-blood" tests, to guide early therapeutic management of patients with suspected bloodstream infections in addition to standard blood cultures. One such FDA-approved, direct-from-blood test is the T2Bacteria® Panel. This panel's performance as a direct-from blood test for bacterial pathogens has been described in previous studies. A recent meta-analysis of largely observational studies reported a faster transition to targeted microbial therapy and de-escalation of empirical microbial therapy, as well as a shorter duration of intensive care unit stay and hospital stay for patients who received this direct-from-blood test. We will conduct a pragmatic, randomized clinical trial examining the effect of using the T2Bacteria® Panel direct from-blood testing, compared to using blood cultures alone (standard of care), on antimicrobial receipt and clinical outcomes for adults presenting to the hospital with suspected infection and who have been initiated on empiric therapy with intravenous vancomycin.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Dec 2023

open study