Clinical Research Directory

Friedreich Ataxia Nerve Ultrasund

"Friedreich ataxia is the most common inherited autosomal recessive ataxia. It is caused by a GAA repeat expansion in the frataxin gene on chromosome 9q21.11. Symptoms usually begin in childhood, typically between 9 and 13 years of age. The disease leads to progressive damage of the nervous system and the heart, as well as multisystem involvement of various degrees, leading to diabetes, vision and hearing loss and scoliosis. Over time, most patients lose the ability to walk and require a wheelchair, often by their mid-twenties. The severity and progression of the disease can vary depending on various factors such as the age at onset and the size of the GAA triplet expansion. Traditionally, Friedreich ataxia has been considered a disorder primarily affecting nerve cells, also called neuronopathy. However, recent studies using ultrasound imaging of peripheral nerves have shown that some nerves may appear enlarged, particularly in the upper limbs. This is in contrast with findings usually observed in other neuronopathies, where peripheral nerves tend to become thinner. The aim of this study is to use nerve ultrasound to better understand changes in intraneural vascularization and nerve in patients with Friedreich ataxia. In particular, we assess the presence of intraneural blood flow within the nerves using a high-resolution ultrasound technique. The study includes 13 patients with genetically confirmed Friedreich ataxia who are followed at the Neurogenetics Competence Center of Nice University Hospital. Ultrasound examinations are performed on the median and ulnar nerves at standardized locations: for median nerve at wrist, forearm (10 cm from the distal wrist crease), antecubital fossa, mid-arm and axilla; for ulnar nerve at the wrist, forearm (10 cm from the pisiform bone), at the elbow (5 cm below and above the elbow), mid-arm and axilla; the brachial plexus is measured at level C5, C6, C7. In addition to vascularization, we also measure nerve size (cross-sectional area) and evaluate internal nerve structure. This study aims to improve understanding of nerve involvement in Friedreich ataxia and to explore whether ultrasound could provide useful markers of disease severity."

Patient-reported, Health Economic and Psychosocial Outcomes in Friedreich Ataxia

The PROFA study is an international, multi-centric observational and validation study to assess the patient-reported, psychosocial and economic outcomes of patients with Friedreich Ataxia (FA). Eligible patients will be recruited from six study centers in Germany, Austria and France. Patients will complete a baseline assessment via face-to-face interviews at the study centers and multiple momentary follow-up assessments via a mobile-health app at home daily to monthly for six months. Study results will gain essential and in-depth insights into the daily life of patients with FA.

Phase IA and IB Study of AAVrh.10hFXN Gene Therapy for the Cardiomyopathy of Friedreich's Ataxia

The purpose of this study is to test the safety and preliminary efficacy of AAVrh.10hFXN to treat the cardiomyopathy associated with Friedreich's ataxia (FA). AAVrh.10hFXN is a serotype rh.10 adeno-associated virus gene transfer vector coding for Frataxin (FXN). The drug is administered intravenously. This is a phase 1, open label, dose escalation study with a total of 25 participants.

An Open-Label Study of CTI-1601 in Subjects With Friedreich's Ataxia

An open label study designed to evaluate the safety, PK, PD, and clinical effects of long-term daily administration of CTI-1601 enrolling patients with FRDA who have participated in a prior clinical study of CTI-1601 as well as adolescents and adults with FRDA who have not participated in a prior clinical study of CTI-1601.

A Study to Learn More About the Effects and Long-Term Safety of BIIB141 (Omaveloxolone) in Participants With Friedreich's Ataxia Aged 2 to 15 Years Old (BRAVE)

In this study, researchers will learn more about the effects and safety of BIIB141, also known as omaveloxolone or SKYCLARYS®. This drug has been approved, or made available for doctors to prescribe, for people with Friedreich's Ataxia (FA) who are at least 16 years old. But, it is not yet available for children and teens with FA who are younger than 16 years old. The main objective of this study is to learn how BIIB141 works in the body and about its safety in children and teens who are 2 to 15 years old. The main questions researchers want to answer in this study are: * How does BIIB141 affect the participants' FA symptoms balance and stability? * How many participants have medical problems during the study? * Are there any changes in the participants' overall health during the study? * Are there any changes in the participants' heart health? * Are there any changes in how the participants move through puberty? Puberty is the time in someone's life when their body changes from a child to an adult. Researchers will also learn more about: \- How the body processes BIIB141 in children and teens This study will be done as follows: * Participants will be screened to check if they can join the study. The screening period will be up to 28 days, after which participants will check into their study research center. * There are 2 parts in this study. During Part 1, participants will take either BIIB141 or a placebo once a day. * In Part 1, participants will take BIIB141 or the placebo in a study research center on Day 1, and then at in-person visits at Week 4, Week 12, Week 26, and Week 52. On all other days, they will take BIIB141 or the placebo at home. Part 1 lasts up to 52 weeks. * During Part 2, participants from Part 1 will either continue taking BIIB141 or start it if they were taking the placebo. Part 2 will last up to 104 weeks. * In Part 1, participants will have up to 10 visits to their study research center and a phone call at Week 2. In Part 2, participants will have visits at Weeks 4, 8,12, 26, and every 26 weeks after that until they leave the study, and a phone call at Week 2. There will be a final phone call to check on the participants' health 31 days after their last dose. * Each participant will be in the study for up to about 3 years

Clinical Course Of Disease In Participants With FA-CM

Characteristics and clinical course of disease In participants with cardiomyopathy associated with Friedreich Ataxia (CLARITY-FA)

A Study to Find Out How BIIB141 (Omaveloxolone) is Processed in the Body and to Learn More About Its Safety in Participants With Friedreich's Ataxia Aged 2 to 15 Years Old

In this study, researchers will learn more about BIIB141, also known as omaveloxolone or SKYCLARYS®. This drug has been approved, or made available for doctors to prescribe, for people with Friedrich's Ataxia (FA) who are at least 16 years old. But, it is not yet available for children and teens with FA who are younger than 16 years old. The main objective of this study is to learn how BIIB141 is processed in the body of children and teens who are 2 to 15 years old. The main question researchers want to answer in this study is: * How does the body process BIIB141 in children and teens? * How many participants have medical problems during the study? * Are there any changes in the participants' overall health during the study? * Are there any changes in the participants' heart health? * Are there any changes in how the participants move through puberty? Puberty is the time in someone's life when their body changes from a child to an adult. This study will be done as follows: * Participants will be screened to see if they can join the study. The screening period will be up to 14 days, after which participants will check into their study research center. * There are 2 parts to this study. During Part 1, participants will take a single dose of BIIB141. Participants will be in 1 of 7 different groups based on their age: * Group A1: 12 to 15 years old, taking 150 milligrams (mg) of BIIB141 * Group A2: 12 to 15 years old, taking a dose of BIIB141 based on the data from Group A1 * Group B1: 7 to 11 years old, taking a dose of BIIB141 based on Group A1 data * Group C1: 2 to 6 years old, taking a dose of BIIB141 based on Groups A1, A2, and B1 data * Group A3: 12 to 15 years old, taking a dose of BIIB141 based on Groups A1, A2, and B1 data * Group B2: 7 to 11 years old, taking a dose of BIIB141 based on Groups A1, A2, and B1 data * Group C2: 2 to 6 years old, taking a dose of BIIB141 based on Group A1, A2, A3, B1, B2, and C1 data. * During Part 2, participants from Part 1 will take BIIB141 once in the study research center. Cohort A1 will take 150 mg of BIIB141. Dose of Cohorts A2 and B1 will be based on data from Cohort A1, dose of Cohorts C1, A3 and B2 will be based on data from Cohorts A1, A2 and B1, while Cohort C2's dose will be based on all the other groups. Participants will then take it once a day at home. * After leaving the study research center in Part 2, participants will return for tests at Week 4, Week 12, Week 24, and then every 24 weeks. Participants will also be contacted by telephone at Week 2, Week 8, and Week 18. * Participants will be in this study for up to 240 weeks.

Gene Therapy for Cardiomyopathy Associated With Friedreich's Ataxia

This is a Phase 1/2, open-label, dose-ascending, multicenter study of the safety and efficacy of LX2006 for participants who have Friedreich's Ataxia with evidence of cardiomyopathy. The study will evaluate up to three doses of single administration of LX2006 (AAVrh.10hFXN), an adeno-associated virus (AAV) gene therapy designed to intravenously deliver the human frataxin (hFXN) gene to cardiac cells over a 52-week period. Long-term safety and efficacy will be evaluated for an additional 4-years for a total of 5-years post LX2006 treatment.

A Study to Assess the Safety and Efficacy of Vatiquinone in Participants With Friedreich Ataxia

The primary objective of this study is to assess the long-term safety of vatiquinone in participants with Friedreich ataxia (FA) previously exposed to vatiquinone.

Development and Validation of the FBIndex to Determine the Risk of Falls for Patients With Neuromuscular Disorders

Currently, there are no standardised fall risk scores or guidelines on when to use appropriate assistive gait devices (AGDs) for people with neuromuscular disorders (NMDs). There is a clear medical unmet need to provide a battery of appropriate locomotor gait assessments to determine the risk of falling for patients with NMDs and give clear guidelines to prescribe an appropriate AGD. The primary goal is to confirm whether the clinical battery assessments (Heel-Rise Test (HRT), Chair-Rise Test (CRT), Semi-tandem Stand (STS), Trunk-Rise Test (TRT), Foot-Tapping Test (FTT), Timed Up and Go (TUG), 10-Meter-Walk Test (10MWT) and 6-Minute-Walk Test (6MWT) can be validated and generalized to other NMD target populations that meet broader eligibility criteria based on used clinical assessments. The second objective of this project is to provide intra- and inter-observer reliability and test-retest reliability of included clinical assessments used to determine the risk of falling for patients with NMDs. Finally, all data will be compared with norm data from the healthy population (n=15) collected retrospectively.

The Use of Assistive Gait Devices Can Reduce the Risk of Falls in Patients With Neuromuscular Diseases Following a Training Period.

The planned project is an intervention study to assess the risk of falling after adaptation of an assistive gait devices in patients with the following neuromuscular diseases: Inclusion body myositis, myotonic dystrophy, limb girdle and facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophies, Pompe disease, Lambert-Eaton syndrome, myasthenia gravis, spinal muscular atrophy, Guillain-Barré syndrome, chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy, Friedreich's ataxia and hereditary motor and sensory neuropathy. The primary aim is to assess the risk of falling after a suitable assistive gait device has been provided with an adaptation phase through training. The data should help to improve the provision of aids for patients with neuromuscular diseases. This should have a positive effect on the risk of falling and thus improve quality of life and reduce mortality and morbidity. To achieve these goals, a one-week intervention with training sessions on handling, balance and coordination as well as fall prevention will becarried out after the patient has been fitted with a suitable assistive gait device. The interventions will be embedded in the inpatient rehabilitation programme. The functional gait and balance tests 'Timed Up and Go', '10 metre walk test', '6-minute walk test' and 'Dynamic Gait Index' will be recorded additionally. The Falls Efficacy Scale International questionnaire will be utilised to evaluate the risk of falling, while the Quebec User Evaluation of Satisfaction with Assistive Technology questionnaire will be employed to ascertain satisfaction with the assistive devices. The study is scheduled to run for a period of 14 days, during which participants will undergo three functional walking and balance tests. As part of the inpatient rehabilitation programme, participants will undergo a week-long period of rehabilitation without assistive technology, followed by a subsequent week of rehabilitation with adapted assistive technology.

A Study to Learn How BIIB141 (Omaveloxolone) Affects the Health of Participants With Friedrich's Ataxia Who Took it During Pregnancy and/or During Breastfeeding and About the Health of Their Babies

In this study, researchers will learn more about the safety of BIIB141, also known as omaveloxolone or SKYCLARYS. This is a drug available for doctors to prescribe for people with Friedrich's Ataxia, also known as FA. This is known as an "observational" study, which collects health information about study participants without changing their medical care. Participants for this study will have taken BIIB141 at any time during pregnancy and/or while breastfeeding or pumping up through the first year after delivery. Participants can join this study on their own or they may be enrolled by their regular doctors. This study is also known as the "SKYCLARYS (Omaveloxolone) Pregnancy and Lactation Surveillance Program." The main objective of this study is to learn more about how BIIB141 may affect pregnancy, as well as any effects on the health of the mother and of the baby during its first year of life. The main question researchers want to answer in this study is: · Does taking BIIB141 during pregnancy or breastfeeding lead to any major birth defects? Researchers will also learn more about: * Does taking BIIB141 during pregnancy or breastfeeding lead to any minor birth defects? * Does taking BIIB141 during pregnancy or breastfeeding affect the following: * Gestational diabetes, a disease that can happen during pregnancy that affects how your body uses sugar * Pre-eclampsia, a pregnancy-related high blood pressure disease * Unborn baby being small for its expected age (usually in weeks) * Loss of an unborn baby * Live birth * Premature birth * Loss of a newborn * Growth or developmental delays in the baby * Serious illness in the baby resulting in hospitalization * Serious infections in the baby, or ones in babies with a weakened immune system This study will be done as follows: * Participants will join the study after signing an informed consent form, also known as an ICF. * During the study, health information from the participants' regular visits to their doctor will be collected based on whether participant joined the study while pregnant or after the baby is born. * Each participant will be in the study for up to 1 year after the birth of their child, unless they decide to leave early. Overall, this study is expected to last at least 10 years.

Friedreich Ataxia Global Clinical Consortium UNIFIED Natural History Study

This project is a global, multicenter, prospective, longitudinal, observational natural history study that can be used to understand the disease progression and support the development of safe and effective drugs and biological products for Friedreich ataxia.

Efficacy of Omaveloxolone Treatment for Dysphagia in French Patients With Friedreich's Ataxia

Friedreich's ataxia (FA) is a rare, inherited neurodegenerative disease that typically begins in children and young people. It primarily affects the spinal cord, peripheral nerves and cerebellum of the brain. Clinical manifestations include progressive gait and limb ataxia, auditory and optic neuropathy, cardiomyopathy, scoliosis, dysarthria, and dysphagia. In advanced stages, individuals may become wheelchair-dependent, leading to a severe loss of autonomy and reduced life expectancy. To date, there are no effective treatments known to reverse or halt disease progression. Heart disease remains the leading cause of death in individuals with FA. In January 2024, Omaveloxolone was approved for early access in France to treat FA in patients aged 16 years and older. Dysphagia is a central manifestation in FA, and may lead to severe complications such as malnutrition, dehydration, and aspiration-related pneumonia, as well as reduced self-esteem and social isolation. Despite its clinical relevance, dysphagia remains underexplored in clinical trials, including in major Omaveloxolone studies where no specific tool for measuring dysphagia has been incorporated. This study aimed to comprehensively evaluate the effect of Omaveloxolone on dysphagia after six months of treatment, in a cohort of French patients with Friedreich's ataxia who benefited from early access to treatment between February 2024 and May 2025. The severity of dysphagia will be assessed using the Sydney Swallow Questionnaire (SSQ), completed by patients at baseline and after six months of Omaveloxolone treatment.

Rare Disease Patient Registry & Natural History Study - Coordination of Rare Diseases at Sanford

CoRDS, or the Coordination of Rare Diseases at Sanford, is based at Sanford Research in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. It provides researchers with a centralized, international patient registry for all rare diseases. This program allows patients and researchers to connect as easily as possible to help advance treatments and cures for rare diseases. The CoRDS team works with patient advocacy groups, individuals and researchers to help in the advancement of research in over 7,000 rare diseases. The registry is free for patients to enroll and researchers to access. Visit sanfordresearch.org/CoRDS to enroll.

A Multiple Ascending Dose Study of DT-216P2 in Patients With Friedreich's Ataxia

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the safety and tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of DT-216P2 administered multiple ascending doses in patients with FA.

Characterisation of the Cognitive Profile of Patients Suffering From Friedreich's Ataxia

Friedreich's Ataxia (FA) Friedreich's Ataxia is a neurodegenerative disease caused by a homozygous expansion of the GAA triplet repeats of the frataxin gene (FXN). FA usually begins in childhood or adolescence. It affects both boys and girls. At the neurophysiological level, FA is characterised by neuronal loss affecting the dorsal root ganglia, spinal cord and cerebellum. At present, daily exercise is the only way to combat the disease. There is no cure for Friedreich's ataxia. Clinically, FA mainly combines balance, movement coordination, articulation (dysarthria) with cardiac involvement and sometimes diabetes . After a few years of evolution, walking is no longer possible. Recent data ; also indicate disturbances in information processing and cognitive functioning. In short, FA involves adolescents who progressively lose walking, writing and speech for some; however, each patient progresses differently with respect to the disease, and this is the case with respect to motor and cognitive symptoms.

Efficacy of Stabilometric Platform to Improve Standing Balance in Patients With Friedreich's Ataxia

The primary objective is to evaluate the potential effectiveness of an individualized intensive rehabilitation intervention using the "Prokin 252" stabilometric platform in the treatment of adolescent and adult patients with Friedreich's Ataxia. The secondary objective is to assess the retention of the rehabilitation treatment effects over time. Enrolled patients will be randomized and assigned to one of two treatment groups for four weeks. Three assessments will be conducted for each patient: one before treatment (T0), one at the end of treatment (T1), and a follow-up assessment 90 days after T1 via telemedicine (T2). This study is: * Exploratory: The study aims to explore the usefulness of the stabilometric platform in a rehabilitative setting in combination with conventional therapy; * Not "first-in-human"; * Longitudinal: The study will investigate changes over time in motor and functional ability scales, as well as stabilometric platform parameters, within the same cohort; * Randomized, controlled, open-label; * Monocentric: The study will be conducted only at the "La Nostra Famiglia" Association in Conegliano and Pieve di Soligo - IRCCS Eugenio Medea in Conegliano - UOC Neuromotor Rehabilitation in Pieve di Soligo, Via Monte Grappa, 96, 31053 Pieve di Soligo TV; * Prospective; * Post-market.

A Study to Learn More About the Long-Term Safety of BIIB141 (Omaveloxolone) in Participants With Friedreich's Ataxia Who Are Prescribed it by Their Own Doctors

In this study, researchers will learn more about the safety of BIIB141, also known as omaveloxolone or SKYCLARYS®. This is a drug available for doctors to prescribe for people with Friedreich's Ataxia, also known as FA. This is known as an "observational" study, which collects health information about study participants without changing their medical care. Participants for this study will be found using a group called the Friedreich's Ataxia Global Clinical Consortium (FA GCC) UNIFIED Natural History Study (UNIFAI). The FA-GCC is a group of study research centers that helps provide clinical care for FA patients and also helps researchers learn more about how FA affects patients over a long time. The main objective of this study is to collect safety information in participants with FA from UNIFAI. Some of the participants in this study will be prescribed BIIB141 for the first time by their own doctors. Some of the participants will have started taking BIIB141 after joining UNIFAI, but less than 12 months before joining this study. The main questions researchers want to answer in this study are: * How many participants had serious adverse events (SAEs)? An adverse event is considered serious when it results in death, is life-threatening, causes lasting problems, or requires hospital care. * How many participants had adverse events (AEs) related to heart failure or liver damage caused by the drug? Researchers will also learn more about : • Why and when participants stopped treatment, left the study, or took more of the drug than was prescribed This study will be done as follows: * Participants will be screened to check if they can join the study. * After joining the study, the participants who had never started BIIB141 treatment before must start it within 6 months. Otherwise, all participants will take BIIB141 throughout this study as prescribed by their own doctor. * During the study, each participant's doctor will decide how often the participant visits the study research center to check on their health. This will be based on the doctor's own clinical judgment and what is recommended by the drug's label. * Data from the participants' regular visits to their doctor will be collected at 1 month, 2 months, 3 months, 6 months, 12 months, 24 months, 36 months, 48 months, and 60 months. * Each participant will be in the study for up to 5 years.

A Single Ascending Dose Study of DT-216P2 in Normal Healthy Participants

This purpose of the study is to evaluate the safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics of single ascending doses of DT-216P2 administered either subcutaneously (SC) and intravenously (IV) in normal healthy participants. Approximately 36 participants will be enrolled into this study.

Home Based Tele-exercise for People With Chronic Neurological Impairments

To assess the impact of a 12-week virtual seated physical intervention on cardiovascular health and wellness in people with chronic neurological impairments (CNI).

A Natural History Study to TRACK Brain and Spinal Cord Changes in Individuals with Friedreich Ataxia (TRACK-FA)

This is a natural history study prospectively investigating neuroimaging markers of disease progression in children and adults with Friedreich ataxia (FA). There will be three assessment periods (baseline, 12 and 24 months). The study will include approximately 200 individuals with FA and 100 matched controls recruited across the six international academic sites. Other assessments will include secondary clinical and cognitive markers, as well as exploratory blood markers.

FA Clinical Outcome Measures

This multicenter natural history study aims to expand the network of clinical research centers in FA, and to provide a framework for facilitating therapeutic interventions. In addition, this study will lead to the development of valid yet sensitive clinical measures crucial to outcome assessment of patients with Friedreich's Ataxia. This study will support genetic modifier studies, biomarker studies, and frataxin protein level assessments by building a sample repository. This natural history study is no longer recruiting under this protocol NCT03090789 but remains actively recruiting under the harmonized study (UNIFAI) NCT06016946.