All Clinical Trials

Tumor genotyping has become an essential biomarker for the care of advanced lung cancer and melanoma, and is currently used to identify patients for treatment with targeted kinase inhibitors like erlotinib and vemurafenib. However, tumor genotyping can be slow and cumbersome, and is limited by availability of tumor biopsy tissue for testing. The aim of this study is to prospectively evaluate a blood-based genotyping tool that can quantify the presence of oncogenic mutations (EGFR, KRAS, BRAF) in patients with lung cancer and melanoma. This assay is being studied both as a diagnostic tool for classifying patient genotype, and a serial measurement tool for quantification of response and progression on therapy. Read Less

The goal of this protocol is to expand access for patients who lack a fully HLA (Human leukocyte antigen) matched sibling donor and who are candidates for allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT). These patients have a serious or immediately life-threatening disease for which HSCT is indicated. These patients are not eligible for other Children's Hospital of Philadelphia IRB approved protocols that utilize CliniMACs technology for T depletion. Read Less

In this study, the investigators plan to see what happens when a person receives care in the home setting. They want to find out if caring for a patient who has been treated with an ASCT in the home setting is feasible. They want to find out what effects good and/or bad this will have on the patient's recovery and treatment after ASCT. Studies in other institutions have shown that providing care in the home setting after ASCT is safe, increases patient satisfaction, and can decrease the risk of infection. It is our hope that this new approach of providing care in the home setting will prove to be a feasible and safe option for patients at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK). Read Less

This is a Phase I clinical study to determine the safety and efficacy of using autologous, engineered urethral constructs for the treatment of urethral strictures in adult males. The proposed study design is a prospective non-randomized and uncontrolled single-center investigation. Autologous urothelial cells (UCs) and smooth muscle cells (SMCs), obtained from enrolled male subjects' bladder tissue samples, will be culture expanded in vitro and used to seed tubular PGA scaffolds to create autologous urethral constructs for the repair of urethral strictures. Read Less

Decreased blood flow to the brain can cause decreased cognitive function. Carotid disease can result in decreased blood flow to the brain. The investigators seek to assess this relationship prospectively through performing a battery of neurocognitive assessments, collection of serum markers of inflammation, and through neuroimaging at two points before intervention (2 months and 1 month before stenting) and at two points after intervention (1 month and 2 months after intervention). The goal is to provide prospective evidence to identify the extent to which carotid stenosis and hypoperfusion of the brain results in diminished neurocognitive performance, and see if serum biomarkers before and after stenting correlate with these findings. Read Less

The investigators aim to use the new PET radioligand, 18F-MK-6240, to detect tau pathology in cognitive healthy and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) elders. The investigators will then examine the interactions between differential tau burden and performance on cognitive tasks, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) neural activation patterns, and other cognitive and behavioral measures. By investigating these relationships, the investigators hope to understand the cognitive and behavioral outcomes of tau deposition found in specific brain regions in cognitively normal/mildly cognitively impaired adults. Furthermore, the study aims to examine how the presence of tau may contribute to the risk of subsequent cognitive decline, neurodegeneration, and dementia. Read Less

Electrographic seizures are common in critically ill patients leading to increased use of resource-intense continuous EEG monitoring for seizure identification and management. When identified, electrographic seizures are generally treated with anti-seizure medications, but there are very limited data available regarding optimal treatment in terms of the efficacy or safety of specific anti-seizure medications or overall management strategies. This is a single-center prospective observational study. The investigators aim to: (1) track critically ill patients undergoing clinically indicated EEG monitoring and seizure management to identify risk factors for electrographic seizures, (2) create prediction models guiding EEG monitoring resources to the patients at highest risk for seizures, and (3) evaluate our current management strategy in terms of safety. Read Less

The overall five-year goals of the project are to develop novel technology to provide actionable new information through provision of live volumetric imaging during surgery, improving surgical practice and outcomes. The investigators believe this technology will enable novel ophthalmic and other microsurgeries not possible due to current limitations in surgical visualization. Read Less

This project will develop and refine a shared decision making (SDM) intervention (decision aid tool) to improve and normalize high quality end of life discussions in the Emergency Department (ED) setting. Read Less

The hypothesis of this research protocol is that the investigators will be able to redesign the manner in which upper limb amputations are performed so as to enable volitional control of next generation prosthetic devices and restore sensation and proprioception to the amputated limb. The investigators will test this hypothesis by performing modified above elbow or below elbow amputations in ten intervention patients, and compare their outcomes to ten control patients who have undergone tradition amputations at similar levels. The specific aims of the project are: 1. To define a standardized approach to the performance of a novel operative procedure for both below elbow (BEA) and above elbow amputations (AEA) 2. To measure the degree of volitional motor activation and excursion achievable in the residual limb constructs, and to determine the optimal configuration and design of such constructs 3. To describe the extent of proprioceptive feedback achievable through the employment of these modified surgical techniques 4. To validate the functional and somatosensory superiority of the proposed amputation technique over standard approaches to BEA and AEA 5. To develop a modified acute postoperative rehabilitation strategy suited to this new surgical approach This will be a phase I/pilot clinical trial to be performed over a three-year period as a collaborative initiative involving Brigham \& Women's Hospital/Brigham \& Women's Faulkner Hospital (BWH/BWFH), Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC), and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The investigators will plan to perform 6 of the 10 amputations at BWH/BWFH, and 4 of the amputations at WRNMMC. Read Less

This study will involve the development of a novel approach to lower extremity residual limb surgical revision that offers the promise of augmenting volitional motor control, restore proprioception and reverse atrophy Read Less

Bowel preparation for pediatric colonoscopy. Read Less