Clinical Trials

Objective:

To study the safety and efficacy of deferasirox as treatment of oxidative stress in adult subjects with sickle cell disease.

Endpoints:

The investigators will determine whether treatment with iron chelators results in decreased sickling of RBCs, oxidative stress, neutrophil activation, inflammation, endothelial activation and hypercoagulability and ultimately reduced disease severity. If the hypothesis is confirmed in this pilot dose-finding study, a larger randomized controlled clinical trial will be initiated.

Study design:

The purpose of this study is to determine the safety, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics of NKTT120 in adult patients with stable sickle cell disease.

The purpose of this study is to determine if patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) can consistently take a drug called Methylphenidate (MPH) daily, once a day for 4 weeks to help with any thinking, attention or schoolwork problems and if they have any side effects.

The study will assess any thinking or attention problems participants may have both before taking this drug and after. Additionally, the study will assess the decision-making process of the caregiver that may influence using this drug or not.

Primary Objective:

This study establishes the safety and efficacy of vit A supplementation doses (3000 and 6000 IU/d) over 8 weeks in children with SCD-SS, ages 9 and older and test the impact of vit A supplementation on key functional and clinical outcomes. Additionally, vitamin A status is assessed in healthy children ages 9 and older to compare to subjects with SCD-SS.

The purpose of this research is to study the causes of Sickle Cell kidney disease, as well as to collect and store samples and information about people with Sickle Cell Disease.

Feasibility and reliability of ultrasound in the inpatient hematology setting.

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is one of the most common inherited diseases worldwide and exhibits highest frequency in people of African descent. Patients with SCD currently have few treatment options, with hydroxyurea being the only medication approved to reduce the frequency of vaso-occlusive crisis (VOC) and prevent other SCD complications such as acute chest syndrome. Once patients develop VOC, hospitalizations aim to alleviate pain; no specific therapy is currently available to otherwise affect the course of the VOC.

Disease-related neurocognitive deficits are common in pediatric sickle cell disease (SCD). These deficits can significantly disrupt otherwise normal trajectories toward academic and vocational achievement and negatively impact psychosocial outcomes. Despite widespread recognition of neurocognitive deficits, there are no treatments shown to maintain or recover functioning once a child with SCD endures neuronal damage. Cognitive training (CT) has been a standard intervention used to stabilize and recover functioning in individuals with accidental or disease-related brain injury.

The purpose of the study protocol is to identify imaging biomarkers for brain tissue under high metabolic stress at risk for permanent injury. We will measure oxygen extraction fraction (OEF) and cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR) in participants with and without perturbations in cerebral oxygen delivery over time to determine each parameter's role in clinical and radiologic neurologic outcomes. Measuring OEF can be done with specialized MRI sequences. Measuring CVR requires a vasoactive response, such as carbon dioxide.

Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) impairs oxygen transport to tissue and causes endothelial injury. Thus, therapeutic interventions aim to improve both, but there is an unmet need for biomarkers to determine when intervention is necessary and evaluate the effectiveness of the chosen intervention in individual patients. This study proposes to monitor SCD and its treatment through their impact on cerebral hemodynamics, as the brain is one of the most vulnerable and consequential targets of the disease.