Clinical Research Directory

Murottal as Adjunctive Intervention in Pediatric

This study aims to evaluate whether listening to the recitation of Surah Ar-Rahman (Murottal) before bedtime can help improve anxiety and sleep quality in hospitalized children with blood cancer. Twenty children aged 8-12 years will be divided into two groups: one group will receive standard care plus the Murottal intervention for 7 days, while the other group will receive standard care only. Anxiety and sleep quality will be measured using validated questionnaires (SCARED and SDSC) before and after the intervention. We hope this study will provide evidence that Murottal can be a safe, non-invasive, and culturally appropriate supportive therapy for pediatric cancer patients.

Efficacy of a Smart Holistic Health Care Platform Intervention on Cancer Children and Parents' Bio-Psycho-Social and Spiritual Health

This multicenter randomized controlled trial aims to develop and evaluate two Smart Holistic Health Care Platforms (SHHCPs) for families of children with cancer in Taiwan: the Parent Smart Holistic Health Care Platform (P-SHHCP) for parents and the Child Smart Holistic Health Care Platform (C-SHHCP) for children. Children diagnosed with leukemia or brain tumors and their primary caregivers (parents) will be recruited from pediatric oncology and hematology units at four medical centers in northern Taiwan. The SHHCPs are designed to strengthen communication and connection between families and health care providers and to provide holistic support for physical, psychological, social, and spiritual needs during cancer treatment.The study will evaluate the effects of the P-SHHCP and C-SHHCP on the physical, psychological, social, and spiritual well-being of children with cancer and their parents during treatment.

Symptom Cluster Heterogeneity and Gut Microbiota Mechanisms in Childhood Cancer Survivors

Advances in medical care have significantly improved survival among children with cancer. In China, the 5-year survival rate has reached 71.9%. Despite these improvements, many survivors continue to experience multiple co-occurring symptoms, such as fatigue, pain, sleep disturbance, and depression, which may adversely affect their quality of life. These symptoms often occur together as symptom clusters and may reflect shared underlying biological mechanisms. This study aims to characterize symptom clusters among childhood cancer survivors and to explore their potential biological basis. Participants will complete questionnaire assessments at multiple time points to evaluate symptom patterns and changes over time. In addition, stool samples will be collected to analyze gut microbiota composition and metabolite profiles. The study will examine the associations between symptom clusters and gut microbiota-metabolite features. Findings from this study are expected to improve understanding of symptom burden in childhood cancer survivors and to provide evidence for the development of targeted symptom management strategies.

Phase I Clinical Trial of ThINKK Adoptive Immunotherapy After Allogeneic Hematopoietic Transplantation in Children With Leukemia or Neuroblastoma

A first-in-class adoptive immunotherapy we called ThINKK, for Therapeutic Inducers of Natural Killer (NK) cell Killing, have been designed for use after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), where the proper stimulation of graft-derived NK cells has been shown to prevent relapse. ThINKK immunotherapy builds on our earlier research on NK cells and plasmacytoid dendritic cells (PDC) in cord blood and after HSCT. PDC are the sentinels of the immune system. Upon viral nucleic acids detection, PDC secrete a vast array of chemokines and cytokines that stimulate NK cells. PDC stimulation enhances NK cells killing of infected cells that express stress-induced molecules. Cancer cells also express stress-related molecules at their surface. However, NK cells do not receive PDC stimulation when fighting cancer. ThINKK therapy is designed to provide this necessary stimulation.