Clinical Trials

Patients who have been diagnosed with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) often develop problems related to the central nervous system, which controls the nerves in the body. Some of these patients may later be diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS), a progressive disease of the nervous system. The purpose of this study is to determine if the drug atorvastatin is helpful to CIS patients.

Antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA)-associated vasculitis is the most common type of small blood vessel inflammation in adults. ANCA-associated vasculitis includes Wegener's granulomatosis (WG) and microscopic polyangiitis (MPA). Rituximab is a man-made antibody used to treat certain types of cancer. The purpose of this study is to determine the effectiveness of rituximab in treating adults with WG and MPA.

Alemtuzumab is a man-made antibody used to treat certain blood disorders. This study will evaluate treatment of kidney transplant recipients with alemtuzumab and other immune system suppressing medications with or without infusions of bone marrow stem cells from the kidney donor. The purpose of this study is to find out which strategy is more effective in preventing organ rejection and maintaining patient health.

Belatacept is an experimental medication shown in clinical trials to have immune system suppression properties in people who have had kidney transplants. This study will determine whether a combination of anti-rejection drugs, including belatacept, can prevent the rejection of a first-time, non-HLA identical kidney transplant and allow patients to be safely withdrawn from anti-rejection therapy one year post-transplant.

This study will determine whether treatment with alemtuzumab and tacrolimus is effective in preventing organ rejection and maintaining the recipient's health after liver transplantation in patients with end-stage liver disease, and whether gradual tapering of tacrolimus treatment is safe for these patients.

The purpose of this study is to determine whether early childhood exposure to common allergens (substances that can trigger allergies and asthma) can prevent the development of asthma in children at high risk for developing the disease.

hOKT3gamma1 (Ala-Ala) is a man-made antibody that is commonly used to prevent organ rejection. The purpose of this study is to determine whether hOKT3gamma1 (Ala-Ala) can halt the progression of type 1 diabetes in patients diagnosed within the past 60 days.

Thymoglobulin is an antibody preparation that is commonly used to treat and prevent organ transplant rejection. The START trial aims to determine whether Thymoglobulin treatment can halt the progression of newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes when given within 3 months of diagnosis. This study is for people aged 12-35 years old.

Antirejection medicines, also known as immunosuppressive drugs, are prescribed to organ transplant recipients to prevent their bodies from rejecting the new organ. Long-term use of these drugs places transplant recipients at higher risk of serious infections and certain types of cancer. The purpose of this study is to determine whether immunosuppressive drugs can be safely withdrawn over a minimum of 9 months from children who received liver transplants at least 4 years ago.

In order to prevent organ rejection, patients receiving liver transplants currently require life-long treatment with immune system-suppressing medications. However, these medications can cause long-term side effects, such as infection, kidney problems, diabetes and cancer. This study is investigating whether liver transplant recipients can slowly be taken off these drugs under medical supervision.