Maryland Paid Clinical Trials

Background: - Generalized lipodystrophy can cause high blood fat levels and resistance to insulin. This can lead to health problems including diabetes. Researchers have found that the drug metreleptin improves health in people with this disease. Objective: - To test the safety and effectiveness of metreleptin. Eligibility: * People ages 6 months and older with generalized lipodystrophy who: * have received metreleptin through NIH studies AND * cannot get it through approved or compassionate use mechanisms in their home country. Design: * Participants will come to NIH approximately every 6 months during year one, then every 1 2 years. Financial assistance may be available for travel within the U.S. * At visits, participants will get a supply of metreleptin to take home for daily injections. They will have: * plastic catheter placed in an arm vein. * blood tests, urine collection, and physical exam. * oral glucose tolerance test, drinking a sweet liquid. * ultrasound of the heart, liver, uterus, and ovaries. A gel and a probe are placed on the skin and pictures are taken of the organs. * echocardiogram, which takes pictures of the heart with sound waves. * Resting Metabolic Rate taken. A plastic hood is worn over the head while the oxygen they breathe is measured. * Participants will have up to 3 DEXA scan x-rays per year. * Participants may have: * annual bone x-rays. * liver biopsies every few years. A needle will be inserted into the liver to obtain a small piece. Participants will sign a separate consent for this. * Participants must be seen regularly by their local doctors and have blood tests at least every 3 6 months at home. Read Less

Background: - Gum disease is a condition in which the tissue around the tooth root becomes swollen and infected. This condition can cause tooth loss if it is not treated. Who gets gum disease and how bad it will be depends on (1) the different bacteria in the mouth and (2) how the immune system of an individual handles these bacteria. Researchers want to look at the oral bacteria and genetic immune problems of different people to learn how these affect gum disease and other conditions of the mouth. Objectives: - To study how immune system problems may lead to problems in the mouth, including gum disease. Eligibility: * Children and adults at least 7 years of age who have genetic problems with their immune system. * Healthy adults that have periodontal disease * Health adults that do not have periodontal disease Design: * This study will involve a screening visit and a study visit. * Participants will be screened with a medical history, blood work and a full oral and dental exam, including dental x-rays and photos. * The study visit will involve collection of blood, urine, and other samples, including saliva, plaque, and gum swabs. Any abnormal tissue will sampled for a biopsy. Additional oral and dental exams will be performed. Participants will also answer questions about any current medical or dental problems. Read Less

Background: - Li-Fraumeni syndrome (LFS) is a genetic condition that increases the risk for some types of cancer. LFS may lead to cancer of the bone or connective tissue, breast, and brain. It may also increase the risk for certain types of leukemia and other cancers. The only known cause of LFS is a change (called a mutation ) in a gene known as TP53. However, not all people with LFS have a TP53 mutation. Researchers want to study other possible genetic causes of LFS, and factors that may increase or decrease cancer risk in people with the syndrome. Objectives: * To learn more about the types of cancers that occur in individuals with LFS. * To study the role of the TP53 gene in the development of cancer. * To look for other possible genes that cause LFS * To study the effect of LFS diagnosis on families. * To determine if environmental factors or other genes can change a person s cancer risk associated with LFS. Eligibility: * Individuals with a family or personal medical history of cancers consistent with LFS. * Individuals with a family or personal medical history of cancers that does not meet the diagnosis of LFS, but the history is suggestive for LFS (meets the diagnosis for the so-called Li-Fraumeni like syndrome) * Individuals with certain rare cancers * Individuals with a family or personal history of a TP53 gene mutation, with or without related cancer(s). Design: * Participants will fill out a medical history questionnaire and a family history questionnaire. * Blood samples will be collected for DNA and for storage. Cheek cell samples may be collected if blood cannot be obtained for DNA. Participants can choose to have or not have cancer screening with blood tests, imaging studies, and other exams. * Participants will complete questionnaires about their worries about cancer, stress levels, and coping strategies. Diet and physical activity questionnaires will also be given. Other psychological tests may be given as needed. * Participants will be monitored for several years, with regular followup visits to the National Institutes of Health, if indicated. Any changes in health or cancer status will be recorded. Read Less

Background: - Spondyloarthritis (SpA) is a group of bone and joint disorders that may cause back and joint pain and stiffness. In some cases, SpA can lead to abnormal bone growth affecting the joints and spine. Some patients have SpA without ever developing these growths, while others develop them after only a few years. Researchers are interested in studying people with SpA and their relatives to determine which people are more likely to develop more severe conditions. Objectives: - To identify symptoms and medical tests that can help determine whether a person with SpA is at risk for developing more severe forms of the disease. Eligibility: * Individuals of any age who have been diagnosed with SpA. * Healthy volunteer relatives (at least 6 years of age) of the individuals with SpA. Design: * Participants will be screened with medical records and family medical histories, and will be invited to the clinical center for the study. * Participants with SpA will have a physical exam and medical history, including a study of joint movement, blood and urine tests, and questionnaires about pain and quality of life. * Participants with SpA will have imaging studies, including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Other samples such as skin tissue and bone marrow may also be collected for study. * Healthy volunteers will provide a blood sample and cheek cell samples. * No treatment will be provided, although treatment options will be discussed. Read Less

This is a Phase I/II non-randomized clinical trial of ex vivo hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) gene transfer treatment for X-linked severe combined immunodeficiency (XSCID, also known as SCID-X1) using a self-inactivating lentiviral vector incorporating additional features to improve safety and performance. The study will treat 35 patients with XSCID who are between 2 and 50 years of age and who have clinically significant impairment of immunity. Patients will receive a total busulfan dose of approximately 6 mg/kg/body weight (target busulfan Area Under Curve is 4500 min\*micromol/L/day) delivered as 3mg/kg body weight on day 1 and dose adjusted on day 2 (if busulfan AUC result is available) to achieve the target dose, to condition their bone marrow, and this will be followed by a single infusion of autologous transduced CD34+HSC. Patients will then be followed to evaluate engraftment, expansion, and function of gene corrected lymphocytes that arise from the transplant; to evaluate improvement in laboratory measures of immune function; to evaluate any clinical benefit that accrues from the treatment; and to evaluate the safety of this treatment. The primary endpoint of the study with respect to these outcomes will be at 2 years, though data relevant to these measures will be collected at intervals throughout the study and during the longer follow-up period of at least 15 years recommended by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Guidance "Long Term Follow-Up After Administration of Human Gene Therapy Products" https://www.fda.gov/media/113768/download for patients participating in gene transfer clinical trials. XSCID results from defects in the IL2RGgene encoding the common gamma chain (yc) shared by receptors for Interleukin 2 (IL-2), IL-4, IL-7, IL-9, IL-15 and IL-21. At birth XSCID patients generally lack or have a severe deficiency of T-lymphocytes and NK cells, while their B- lymphocytes are normal in number but are severely deficient in function, failing to make essential antibodies. The severe deficiency form of XSCID is fatal in infancy without intervention to restore some level of immune function. The best current therapy is a T-lymphocyte-depleted bone marrow transplant from an HLA tissue typing matched sibling, and with this type of donor it is not required to administer chemotherapy or radiation conditioning of the patient's marrow to achieve excellent engraftment and immune correction of an XSCID patient. However, the great majority of patients with XSCID lack a matched sibling donor, and in these patients the standard of care is to perform a transplant of T- lymphocyte depleted bone marrow from a parent. This type of transplant is called haploidentical because in general a parent will be only half- matched by HLA tissue typing to the affected child. Whether or not any conditioning is used, haploidentical transplant for XSCID has a significantly poorer prognosis than a matched sibling donor transplant. Following haploidentical transplant, XSCID patients are observed to achieve a wide range of partial immune reconstitution and that reconstitution can wane over time in some patients. That subset of XSCID patients who either fail to engraft, fail to achieve adequate immune reconstitution, or lose immune function over time suffer from recurrent viral, bacterial and fungal infections, problems with allo- or autoimmunity, impaired pulmonary function and/or significant growth failure. We propose to offer gene transfer treatment to XSCID patients\^3 \>= 2 years of age who have clinically significant defects of immunity despite prior haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplant, and who lack an HLA-matched sibling donor. Our current gene transfer treatment protocol can be regarded as a salvage/rescue protocol. Prior successful retroviral gene transfer treatment instead of bone marrow transplant (BMT) in Paris and London for 20 infants with XSCID has provided proof of principle for efficacy. However, a major safety concern is the occurrence of 5 cases of leukemia at 3-5 years after treatment triggered in part by vector insertional mutagenesis activation of LMO2 and other DNA regulatory genes by the strong enhancer present in the long-terminal repeat (LTR) of the Moloney Leukemia Virus (MLV)- based vector. Furthermore, previous studies of gene transfer treatment of older XSCID patients with MLV- based vectors demonstrated the additional problem of failure of adequate expansion of gene corrected T- lymphocytes to the very high levels seen in infants. To reduce or eliminate this leukemia risk, and possibly enhance performance sufficiently to achieve benefit in older XSCID patients, we have generated a lentivector with improved safety and performance features. We have generated a self-inactivating (SIN) lentiviral vector that is devoid of all viral transcription elements; that contains a short form of the human elongation factor 1a (EF1a) internal promoter to expres...... Read Less

Background The development of new technologies now allow scientists to investigate the molecular basis and clinical manifestations of monoclonal B cell lymphocytosis (MBL), chronic lymphocytic leukemia(CLL)/small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL), lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma (LPL)/Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia (WM), and splenic marginal zone lymphoma (SMZL). Applying these methods in a natural history study can help identify processes involved in disease progression, and possibly lead to the discovery or validation of treatment targets. Objectives Study the history of MBL/CLL/SLL/LPL/WM/SMZL in patients prior to and after treatment. Characterize clinical, biologic and molecular events of disease stability and progression of patients enrolled on this protocol. Eligibility: * Diagnosis of CLL/SLL and on treatment/previously treated/nearing treatment * Diagnosis of LPL/WM * As of February 5, 2025, patients with MBL and SMZL will no longer be enrolled. * Age greater than or equal to 18 years. * ECOG performance status of 0-2. Design Patients are typically followed every 6 to 24 months in the clinic and have blood drawn. Patients may be asked to undergo additional testing, including bone marrow biopsy and aspiration, lymph node biopsy, positron emission tomography, and CT and MRI scans. Some of these tests (e.g., blood draw) may be required to monitor CLL/SLL and LPL/WM. Other tests (e.g., lymph node biopsy) may not be clinically indicated, but patients may be asked to undergo these procedures for research purposes. No treatment will be administered on this study. If a patients requires treatment for their cancer, available NIH clinical trials and alternative treatment options will be discussed with the patient. Read Less

This study will examine the safety of giving the experimental drug, resiniferatoxin (RTX), to treat severe pain in patients with advanced cancer. RTX is a chemical extracted from a cactus-like plant. It is similar to capsaicin, the active ingredient in hot pepper. RTX has relieved pain and reduced the need for pain medication in several animal experiments. It works by destroying nerves that transmit pain information. People at least 18 years of age with severe pain from advanced cancer at or below the level of the chest that cannot be controlled with standard treatments may be eligible for this study. Participants undergo the following procedures: Pretreatment Visit Before beginning treatment with RTX, patients give a medical history and undergo a physical examination that includes: * Electrocardiogram (EKG) * Blood draw * Urinalysis * Neurological examinations * Peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) * Eye examination * MRI * Urology assessment * Pregnancy test, when appropriate * Questionnaires to collect information on health, personality, mood, pain levels and symptoms. 2-Day Hospitalization Patients are hospitalized for 2 days for RTX injection and monitoring, as follows: * RTX injection: RTX is injected in the operating room under general anesthesia. It is given through a catheter placed in the patient s spine. The catheter is also used to obtain samples of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) the clear fluid that bathes the spinal cord. The fluid is examined to assess drug effects and side effects, chemical changes in the content of the CSF associated with RTX, and how RTX is handled by the body. * Post-injection monitoring, including: * Surveys about symptoms such as pain or weakness * Neurological examinations * Blood and CSF sampling * EKG * AEs Outpatient followup * Vitals * Blood draw, Urinalysis, neurological and sensory testing, EKG on days 7, 14 and 30 after the injection * MRI scans of the head and back, Urology assessment and PEFR on day 15 after the injection * Eye examination * Follow-up phone calls monthly for 6 months Read Less

Background: - The Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA) is a clinical research program on human aging that began in 1958. Volunteers of different ages join the study when they are healthy, and have follow-up visits for life. Visits last for multiple days. Participants are evaluated for many physical elements as well as for brain function. Physical tests are given. Information on mood, personality, and social aspects of life is also collected. This program has contributed more than any other research project to our understanding of aging. Objectives: - To characterize the many aspects of the aging process and learn how people can successfully adapt to aging. Eligibility: - Healthy individuals at least 20 years old. Design: * Participants will receive a booklet and video describing the tests they will take. * During a 3-day visit at the study hospital, participants will take the following tests: * Urine will be collected for 24 hours. Blood samples will be taken. A small piece of muscle tissue may be collected by a needle. * A medical questionnaire and a physical exam will be given. * Participants hearts will be tested, including with blood pressure tests and electronic monitors. They will breathe into a tube to test their lungs. * Participants will perform several exercises, including treadmill walking. * Vision, hearing, and taste will be tested. * Bone and joint X-rays may be taken. * Imaging tests will be given, such as an MRI. * Participants will answer questions to test their mental abilities. * Participants will return for follow-up visits every few years for life. The tests listed above will be given at every visit. Read Less

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness, safety, and tolerability of SUZ for acute pain after laparoscopic procedures of the intraperitoneal or retroperitoneal cavities or arthroscopic orthopedic procedures. Read Less

This study is for people who have geographic atrophy due to age-related macular degeneration (AMD). AMD happens when the macula, the light-sensitive layer at the back of the eye called the retina, becomes damaged and causes a person's central vision to worsen. Geographic atrophy is an advanced form of AMD where cells in the retina waste away and die. Over time this can lead to permanent loss of vision. Avacincaptad pegol can help slow down the worsening or progression of geographic atrophy. Avacincaptad pegol is a treatment approved in the US to treat geographic atrophy. This study is about collecting information on how people with geographic atrophy are treated in routine clinical practice. This includes recording any medical problems from avacincaptad pegol. This is known as an observational study. Information will be collected from the peoples' medical records during and after treatment. The people in this study will have geographic atrophy in 1 or both eyes and they and their doctor has decided they will be treated with avacincaptad pegol. The individual's doctor decides on treatment, not the study sponsor (Astellas). People that want to take part in the study will have eye examinations that they would usually have as part of their routine care. People will also be asked to complete surveys about their eye health. These surveys will occur when treatment starts and then every 6 months for the first 2 years. After 2 years the surveys will happen once a year. The people on the study can take part if their doctor provides treatment with avacincaptad pegol and they want to continue with the study. The people on the study can take part for up to 3 years or up to 5 years, depending on when they start the study. Read Less

This study is open to adults aged 50 years and older with geographic atrophy that was diagnosed by imaging of the retina. The purpose of this study is to find out whether a medicine called BI 1584862 improves the eyes in people with geographic atrophy and to find the most suitable dose. This study has 4 treatment groups. Participants are put into groups randomly, which means by chance. Initially participants can join a BI 1584862 and a placebo group; then more participants are put randomly in 2 additional BI 1584862 groups and a placebo group. Participants are in the study for 1 year. During this time, they visit the study site 13 times. At the visits, doctors check the severity of participants' eye disease and collect information on any health problems. They take detailed pictures of the back of the eye, the retina, with imaging methods called fundus autofluorescence (FAF), near-infrared reflectance (NIR), and optical coherence tomography (OCT). They measure areas of the retina that appear healthy (bright) or start to waste away (dark, atrophy). The changes over time are then compared between the treatment groups. Read Less

Ulcerative Colitis (UC) and Crohn's Disease (CD) are long-term conditions in the gut that can cause diarrhea, swelling (inflammation), bleeding from the anus, and belly pain. The main aim of this study is to check for how many participants with UC and CD signs and symptoms disappear after 3.5 months (14 weeks) of treatment with Vedolizumab (this is called remission). Participants will be treated with Vedolizumab for approximately 1 year (50 weeks). During the first 1.5 months (6 weeks), participants will receive Vedolizumab as an infusion in the vein (called intravenously). After this, participants will receive Vedolizumab as an injection under the skin (called subcutaneously) for the rest of the treatment. Participants for whom the treatment does not seem to work well after 3.5 months (14 weeks) will stop treatment with Vedolizumab and can change to another treatment and also there will be additional required visits at 6 months (26 weeks) and at 1 year (52 weeks). All participants will be checked again 4.5 months (18 weeks) after their last treatment with Vedolizumab. During the study, participants will visit their study clinic several times. Read Less