Clinical Trials and Studies

Are you at least 13 weeks pregnant? This study looks at how being less active for most of the day, like sitting a lot and sleeping, affects pregnancy and the mother’s heart health over time. Participants must be 18 to 45 years old and pregnant. They will also wear devices that track their movement and activity. The study is taking place in locations in Iowa, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

This study will leverage state-of-the-art, 24-hour behavior assessment in each trimester of pregnancy and examine associations with adverse pregnancy outcomes to inform guidelines and future interventions designed to improve women's pregnancy and long-term cardiovascular health.

The overall objective of research is to test, adapt, refine and validate the HEMOTAG® system to be used outside the usual medical care environments to reduce hospital readmissions.

Ventilated pediatric patients are frequently over-sedated and the majority suffer from delirium, a form of acute brain dysfunction that is an independent predictor of increased risk of dying, length of stay, and costs. Universally prescribed sedative medications-the GABA-ergic benzodiazepines-worsen this brain organ dysfunction and independently prolong duration of ventilation and ICU stay, and the available alternative sedation regimen using dexmedetomidine, an alpha-2 agonist, has been shown to be superior to benzodiazepines in adults, and may mechanistically impact outcomes through positive effects on innate immunity, bacterial clearance, apoptosis, cognition and delirium. The mini-MENDS trial will compare dexmedetomidine and midazolam, and determine the best sedative medication to reduce delirium and improve duration of ventilation, and functional, psychiatric, and cognitive recovery in our most vulnerable patients-survivors of pediatric critical illness.

Are you an adult with primary light chain amyloidosis? Researchers in this study are investigating new ways to look at the heart to identify when it is not working properly. You may be able to participate if you are at least 18 years old and have been diagnosed with primary light chain amyloidosis. This study is taking place in Boston, Massachusetts.

The objective of the ALA-LHC is to establish a national cohort of young adults for the purpose of defining lung health and developing targets to intercept chronic lung disease at its earliest stages.

Is your family from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, or Sri Lanka? If so, you may be able to participate in a clinical study looking at cardiovascular disease, such as heart disease and stroke among people of South Asian descent. Participants must be between 40 and 84 years old and have no history of heart attack or stroke, heart failure, angina, or atrial fibrillation. This study is taking place in San Francisco, California, Chicago, Illinois, and New York City, New York.

Do you or your child have sickle cell disease? Researchers are testing whether a type of gene therapy will prevent all severe vaso-occlusive pain events in individuals living with sickle cell disease. In this study, stems cells are collected from the patient, modified in a lab, and then the gene-modified cells are given back to the patient. Participants must be between 13 and 40 years old. The study is taking place at sickle cell and transplant centers in California, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, and Wisconsin.

Do you have heart disease? This study is looking to improve the quality of heart CT scans by using new methods to create the images. You may be able to participate in the study if you are 18 years old or older, have heart disease, and have been told by your doctor that you need a CT scan. This study is taking place at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center in Bethesda, Maryland.

Are you or your child at least 13 years old and have sickle cell disease? Do you or your child have sickle cell disease or beta-thalassemia? Researchers are testing whether a new antibody therapy prior to stem cell transplantation improves the success of the stem cell transplant in individuals at high risk for complications. Participants must be 13 years old or older. The study is taking place at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Clinical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. Patients who have the stem cell transplant must live within 1 hour of the NIH Clinical Center for 3 months after the transplant.
The stem cells for the transplant come from a fully matched donor, 4 years old or older. Donors may provide blood samples for research.