Tulane Research - Clinical Translational Unit

The focus of this study (Engaging Seronegative Youth to Optimize HIV Prevention Continuum) - will be to stop HIV-related risk acts and to encourage youth at high risk for HIV to adopt antiretroviral medications as treatment and prevention (either pre exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) or post exposure prophylaxis) among gay, bisexual and transgender and/or homeless youth with contact with the criminal justice system in the HIV epicenters of Los Angeles and New Orleans. A cohort of 1500 youth at the highest risk of seroconverting over 24 months will be identified. The goal will be to optimize the HIV Prevention Continuum over 24 months. The proposed randomized controlled trial (RCT) aims to compare youth outcomes when randomized to one of four automated and person-mediated social media delivered intervention conditions: 1) Automated Messaging and Monitoring Intervention (AMMI) only (n=900) consisting of daily motivational, instructional, and referral text-messaging (SMS), and brief, weekly SMS monitoring surveys of outcomes; 2) Peer Support through social media plus AMMI (n=200) via private online discussion boards; 3) Coaching plus AMMI (n=200) to provide service linkages, eligibility support, appointment coordination and follow-up, communication with healthcare providers, and brief motivational and strengths-based counseling for linkage and retention to prevention, mental health, and substance abuse services; and, 4) Coaching plus Peer Support and AMMI (n=200).

Type: Interventional

Start Date: May 2017

open study

Optimizing the HIV Treatment Continuum with a Stepped Care Model for Youth Living with HIV (YLH) aims to achieve viral suppression among YLH. A cohort of 220 YLH will be identified in Los Angeles, CA and New Orleans, LA and recruited into a randomized controlled trial (RCT) with reassessments every 4 months over a 24 month follow-up period. The goal is to optimize the HIV Treatment Continuum over 24 months. YLH will be randomized into one of two study conditions: 1) Enhanced Standard Care Condition (n=110); or 2) Stepped Care (n=110). The Enhanced Standard Care condition will consist of an Automated Messaging and Monitoring Intervention (AMMI) with daily motivational, instructional and referral text messaging, and a brief weekly monitoring survey. The Stepped Care Condition will consist of three levels. Level 1 is the Enhanced Standard Care Condition. Level 2 is the Enhanced Standard Care Condition plus peer support using social media. Level 3 is the Enhanced Standard Care Condition and peer support plus coaching, which will be delivered primarily through electronic means (e.g., social media, text messaging, email, phone). All participants in the Stepped Care Condition begin at Level 1 but if they fail to have a suppressed viral load at any four-month assessment point, their intervention level will increase by one step until reaching Level 3.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: May 2017

open study

The purpose of this study is to evaluate whether the addition of ibrutinib will result in prolongation of progression-free survival (PFS) when compared with rituximab alone in treatment naïve subjects with follicular lymphoma.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jan 2017

open study

Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) of chronic total occlusions (CTOs) is increasingly being performed in patients with advanced coronary artery disease, but there is limited information on the techniques utilized and the procedural outcomes. The goal of this multicenter, investigator initiated registry is to collect information on treatment strategies and outcomes of consecutive patients undergoing CTO PCI among various participating centers. The information collected will be used to determine the frequency of CTO PCI performed at the participating sites and examine the procedural strategies utilized, and the procedural (both immediate and during follow-up) outcomes.

Type: Observational [Patient Registry]

Start Date: Jan 2012

open study

The primary objective of this study is to determine the efficacy and safety of iron therapy using intravenous (IV) ferric carboxymaltose (FCM), relative to placebo, in the treatment of participants in heart failure with iron deficiency and with a reduced ejection fraction.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Mar 2017

open study

The purpose of this prospective randomized clinical trial is to compare two currently accepted standard-of-care treatment strategies: Medical thoracoscopy as compared to instillation of intrapleural tissue Plasminogen Activator (TPA) and human recombinant Deoxyribonuclease (DNase) for the management of empyema or complicated parapneumonic effusion (CPPE) in adults.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Nov 2017

open study

The purpose of this study is to compare two red blood cell transfusion strategies (liberal and restrictive) for patients who have had an acute myocardial infarction and are anemic.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Apr 2017

open study

This phase III trial compares nephrectomy (surgery to remove a kidney or part of a kidney) with or without nivolumab in treating patients with kidney cancer that is limited to a certain part of the body (localized). Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, such as nivolumab, may help the body's immune system attack the cancer, and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Giving nivolumab before nephrectomy may make the tumor smaller and reduce the amount of normal tissue that needs to be removed, and after nephrectomy to increase survival. It is not yet known whether nivolumab and nephrectomy is more effective than nephrectomy alone in treating patients with kidney cancer.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Feb 2017

open study

The proposed randomized controlled trial will test the effect of dietary sodium reduction on albuminuria in patients with proteinuric chronic kidney disease. Results from this study will clarify the role of dietary sodium reduction in management of patients with proteinuric chronic kidney disease and its potential to halt the progression of chronic kidney disease.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Nov 2016

open study

The PERMET trial will determine whether metformin daily for six months improves six-minute walk performance in individuals with peripheral artery disease compared to placebo.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: May 2017

open study

Alcohol and other drug (AOD) abuse and violence in families are co-occurring risk factors that drive health disparities and mortality among Native Americans (NA), making the long-term goal of this research is to promote health and wellness, while preventing and reducing AOD abuse and violence in NA families by testing an efficacious, sustainable, culturally-relevant and family-centered intervention for cross-national dissemination. The central hypothesis is that the sustainable and community-based Weaving Healthy Families program, will reduce and postpone AOD use among NA adults and youth, decrease and prevent violence in families, and promote resilience and wellness (including mental health) among NA adults and youth. The expected outcomes of the proposed research are an efficacious, culturally relevant, and sustainable community based program to promote health and wellness that will address the factors that drive health disparities and promote individual, family, and community resilience.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jan 2019

open study

This study examines the effects of 6 different music therapy interventions on outcomes for neonates diagnosed with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Nov 2017

open study

The purpose of this study is to determine whether an investigational immuno-therapy combination, nivolumab with Brentuximab vedotin compared to Brentuximab vedotin alone is safe and effective in the treatment of relapsed and refractory Classical Hodgkin Lymphoma. The participants of this trial will comprise of patients who have relapsed or did not respond to treatment and are not eligible for stem cell transplant

Type: Interventional

Start Date: May 2017

open study

The goal of this study is to better characterize the metabolic alterations and sugar structure alterations (glycosylation abnormalities) in patients diagnosed with Congenital Disorders of Glycosylation. The investigators aim to assess the safety and tolerability of oral galactose treatment in a small pilot group of Congenital Disorders of Glycosylation patients. The investigators will also determine the relationship between simple milk sugar intake (galactose dose) in the diet and the blood and urine markers of protein glycosylation abnormalities.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jul 2014

open study

The TELEX trial will establish whether telmisartan alone improves walking performance in people with peripheral artery disease (PAD). The TELEX trial will also determine whether telmisartan plus supervised exercise improves walking performance more than either therapy alone. TELEX is a randomized controlled clinical trial (2 x 2 factorial design) of 240 participants with PAD randomized to one of four arms: Group A: telmisartan + supervised exercise therapy; Group B: telmisartan + a "no exercise" control group; Group C: placebo + supervised exercise therapy; and Group D: placebo + a "no exercise" control group.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Oct 2015

open study

This is a two-arm, open label Phase 1b/2 study with an oral administration of CPI-1205 in combination with either enzalutamide or abiraterone/prednisone in male patients with metastatic Castration Resistant Prostate Cancer. This study is designed to determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) and recommended Phase II dose (RP2D) based on safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetic, and efficacy profiles of CPI-1205 in combination with either enzalutamide or abiraterone/prednisone. Following determination of MTD and RP2D will proceed to phase 2. Patients in phase 2 will receive CPI-1205 at the RP2D in combination with either enzalutamide or abiraterone/prednisone vs either enzalutamide or abiraterone/prednisone as a control arm.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Nov 2017

open study

The primary goal of the INITIATE trial is to compare the clinical outcome of individualized lot selection to random lot selection utilizing one plasma-derived von Willebrand factor (VWF)/coagulation factor (FVIII) complex concentrate for immune tolerance induction (ITI) in subjects with congenital Hemophilia A, FVIII activity ≤2%, and a historical high-titer inhibitor [≥5 Bethesda Unit (BU)].

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jun 2017

open study

The objective of this study is to determine the effect of music therapy during dialysis on: depression, anxiety, quality of life, blood pressure, heart rate, medication compliance, compliance with dialysis treatment, number of hospitalizations, pain level, and energy level.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Mar 2019

open study

This randomized phase II trial studies how well obinutuzumab with or without umbralisib, lenalidomide, or combination chemotherapy work in treating patients with grade I-IIIa follicular lymphoma that has come back or does not respond to treatment. Immunotherapy with obinutuzumab, may induce changes in body's immune system and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Umbralisib may stop the growth of cancer cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. Biological therapies, such as lenalidomide, use substances made from living organisms that may stimulate or suppress the immune system in different ways and stop cancer cells from growing. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin hydrochloride, vincristine sulfate, prednisone, and bendamustine, 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. It is not yet known whether giving obinutuzumab with or without umbralisib, lenalidomide, or combination chemotherapy will work better in treating patients with grade I-IIIa follicular lymphoma.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Aug 2017

open study

Understudied drugs will be administered to children per standard of care as prescribed by their treating caregiver and only biological sample collection during the time of drug administration will be involved. A total of approximately 7000 children aged <21 years who are receiving these drugs for standard of care will be enrolled and will be followed for up a maximum of 90 days. The goal of this study is to characterize the pharmacokinetics of understudied drugs for which specific dosing recommendations and safety data are lacking. The prescribing of drugs to children will not be part of this protocol. Taking advantage of procedures done as part of routine medical care (i.e. blood draws) this study will serve as a tool to better understand drug exposure in children receiving these drugs per standard of care. The data collected through this initiative will also provide valuable pharmacokinetic and dosing information of drugs in different pediatric age groups as well as special pediatric populations (i.e. obese).

Type: Observational

Start Date: Nov 2011

open study

TARGET-NASH is a longitudinal observational cohort study of patients being managed for NAFL or NASH in usual clinical practice. TARGET-NASH will create a research registry of patients with NAFL or NASH within academic and community real-world practices in order to assess the safety and effectiveness of current and future therapies.

Type: Observational [Patient Registry]

Start Date: Jul 2016

open study

With limited treatment options available for dermatomyositis, the investigators hypothesize that apremilast, a phosphodiesterase-4 (PDE-4) inhibitor, is a safe and efficacious add-on treatment in patients with refractory cutaneous dermatomyositis. The study will investigate the efficacy, safety and toxicity of apremilast given at 30 mg twice daily to patients with refractory cutaneous dermatomyositis. Clinical response will be assessed at 1 and 3 months. Patients will also be evaluated for durability of their response for up to 6 months. Treatment will be monitored with frequent clinical visits (0, 1, 3 and 6 months) and blood tests (CBC, CMP, creatine kinase, aldolase). Treatment will be discontinued at disease progression or unacceptable adverse events. Disease progression is defined as 4 points increase in the cutaneous dermatomyositis disease area and severity index (CDASI) score, worsening of muscle disease by manual muscle testing (MMT-8) score and 5 points increase in dermatomyositis life quality index (DLQI). 5 mm skin biopsies from lesional skin will be performed before treatment with apremilast and after 3 months of treatment for gene expression profiling and confirmatory immunohistochemical stains.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jun 2018

open study

The purpose of this study is to study the effect of blocking the renin angiotensin system on urinary free light chain excretion as compared to urine microalbumin creatinine ratio in subjects with type 2 diabetes. The long term goal is to assess urinary free-light chains as a biomarker of earlier detection of kidney function impairment in subjects with diabetes mellitus.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jan 2012

open study

A 52-week, placebo-controlled, randomized, Phase 3 study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of seladelpar in subjects with primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) and an inadequate response to or intolerance to ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA)

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Nov 2018

open study

The proposed randomized controlled trial will test the effect of a low-carbohydrate diet on hemoglobin A1c among individuals with elevated hemoglobin A1c that are within the range of prediabetes or diabetes. Results may provide evidence about the role of carbohydrate restriction in individuals with or at high risk of type 2 diabetes.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Sep 2018

open study