Clinical Research Directory

Mobile Video Directly Observed Therapy (DOT) for Immunosuppression Medication Adherence in Adolescent Heart Transplant Recipients

We will conduct a two-group randomized controlled trial to examine the eMocha DOT intervention with pediatric HT recipients.In this population, medication nonadherence remains a primary cause of late acute rejection (LAR) episodes, increased number of hospitalizations, graft failure, and patient mortality. Herein, we propose an innovative approach to promote medication adherence and improve patient and graft outcomes.

OveRcoming immunosupprEssion aNd rebAlancing the Immune reSponSe in ovAriaN CancEr Study

Ovarian cancer (OC) is one of the most lethal cancers in the world due to late-stage disease at diagnosis. Standard therapy consists of debulking surgery and chemotherapy. However, despite this aggressive treatment, recurrent disease almost invariably occurs resulting in a five-year survival rate of approximately 30%. Immunotherapy could be a way to increase survival in OC patients. However, a major barrier to a successful deployment of cancer immunotherapy for ovarian cancer patients is the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. Envisioned solution/research direction Tumor-related inflammation is one of the hallmarks of cancers in general. Innate immunity specifically is a common denominator that is involved in the pathogenesis of OC. To improve the patient's outcome and identify novel therapeutic targets, one needs a deeper understanding of the tumor-induced changes in the bone marrow myeloid progenitor cells. Furthermore, treatment of these cells by nanoparticles or other agents that induce a program of 'trained immunity' may be a novel way to re- educate myeloid cells and their bone marrow progenitors in OC patients. Hypothesis We hypothesize that by exposing myeloid cells or their progenitors to various agents that induce trained immunity (e.g. trained immunity-inducing agents: BCG, heat-killed Candida,), these immune cells will undergo functional reprogramming to induce a tumor-suppressive phenotype. In the future, this could be explored as a novel immunotherapy for tumors that are refractory to conventional treatment. Objective To characterize and phenotype the immune state of OC patients compared to controls without cancer with a focus on the hematopoietic organs and the immune cells originating from these organs. In addition, the effect of established trained immunity-inducing agents on these cells will be evaluated in vitro, potentially providing new therapies. This will be executed by assessing the transcriptional, epigenetic, and functional reprogramming of circulating monocytes and myeloid progenitor cells in OC and by assessing the in vitro effect of trained immunity inducers on the reprogramming of circulating monocytes and myeloid progenitor cells. Study design: investigator-initiated, multi-center explorative cross-sectional study at the Catharina hospital Eindhoven, Radboud University Medical Center and Eindhoven University of Technology.

RSV Vaccine in Transplant Recipients

Adjuvant, non-live RSV vaccine will be administered to adult lung and allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients. The safety and immunogenicity of this intervention will be studied. Blood work will be collected before and after the intervention, to assess humoral and cellular immunity. Participants will be followed for adverse reaction, hospitalization, RSV breakthrough infection, graft rejection or graft versus host disease. This study has Health Canada and UHN REB approval.

Early Severe Illness TrAnslational BioLogy InformaticS in Humans

Advanced stages of the response to life-threatening infection, severe trauma, or other physiological insults often lead to exhaustion of the homeostatic mechanisms that sustain normal blood pressure and oxygenation. These syndromic presentations often meet the diagnostic criteria of sepsis and/or the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), the two most common syndromes encountered in the intensive care unit (ICU). Although critical illness syndromes, such as sepsis and ARDS, have separate clinical definitions, they often overlap clinically and share several common injury mechanisms. Moreover, there are no specific therapies for critically ill patients, and as a consequence, approximately 1 in 4 patients admitted to the ICU will not survive. The purpose of this observational study is to identify early patient biologic factors that are present at the time of ICU admission that will help diagnose critical illness syndromes earlier, identify who could benefit most from specific therapies, and enable the discovery of new treatments for syndromes such as sepsis and ARDS.

The Coastal Exposome: a Study of Sea Air Inhalation and Possible Links to Health

The research aims to understand oceans as crucial contributors to human health in coastal environments. Oceans produce marine spray aerosols that contain a mixture of microbiota and natural biological molecules (biogenics).

Nivolumab Combined With SOX Used in the Perioperative Treatment

To evaluate the pathological complete response rate (pCR) of nivolumab combined with SOX (oxaliplatin + S-1) for neoadjuvant therapy of resectable gastric and gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma;

Immunosuppressive Drugs and Gut Microbiome: Pharmacokinetic- and Microbiome Diversity Effects

Kidney transplant recipients of living- and deceased donor grafts and treated with both mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) and tacrolimus (Tac) will be included. A 12-hour pharmacokinetic (PK) investigation of both mycophenolate (MPA) and Tac will be performed in pharmacokinetic steady state conditions between 3 to 8 weeks and one year after transplantation. Feces samples will be collected before (if possible), 1 week after transplantation and at the day of the 12-hour PK investigations. Data on dietary intake and physical activity will be obtained in association with the feces sampling in all patients. Patients will be invited to a follow-up visit one year after transplantation where the 12-hour PK investigation, feces sampling, dietary and activity data collection is repeated. Standard follow-up data after renal transplantations, such as acute rejection episodes, infections, renal function, post transplant diabetes mellitus (PTDM), protocol biopsies, adherence to immunosuppressive drugs, graft loss and death will be collected for all patients up to 5 years after transplantation according to standard schedule at the transplant center. A subgroup of kidney transplant recipients scheduled for living donor transplantation will be included before transplantation for pre-transplant investigations in addition to the investigations after transplantation. These patients will be randomized to either receive one week of treatment with MMF or Tac before transplantation. Feces samples and a 12-hour PK investigation will be performed after one week of treatment (before transplantation).