8 Clinical Trials for Batten Disease
Background: CLN3, or Batten disease, is a genetic disorder. This deadly disease leads to decline of brain and nervous system functions. Symptoms of CLN3 typically occur between 4 and 7 years of age. They include changes in how a person sees, thinks, and moves. CLN3 can also cause seizures. No effective treatments for the disease are yet known. There is limited testing of potential therapies. Researchers want to study CLN3 more so they can improve future therapies. Objective: To identify clinical or biochemical markers that can be used as therapeutic outcome measures for CLN3. Eligibility: People with CLN3. It must be based on Two CLN3 mutations OR One CLN3 mutation AND findings seen with a powerful microscope Family members of a person with CLN3. Design: Participants will have already been referred to NIH for CLN3 evaluation. If participants agree to do the study, they will: 1. give spinal fluid, blood, urine, and skin samples. They may provide other samples if they were already collected. These may include cells, surgical specimens, and DNA. 2. will be seen by multiple healthcare specialists. Participants may provide medical records or photos. Participants will sign a release of medical records form.P Researchers may send samples or clinical data to other investigators. For research testing, the samples will not include the participant s name. For a test in a clinical lab, researchers will include the participant s name. These results will become part of the clinical record at NIH.
CLN6 is a rare, neurodegenerative disease that causes progressive loss of acquired skills with motor delay, visual loss, seizures and ataxia. The investigators propose a natural history study of this rare disorder since it is currently unknown. It is important to understand disease progression in CLN6 disease to be able to judge therapeutic efficacy as emerging therapies like gene therapy become available.
This study aims to assess the natural history of Batten disease (Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinosis) by obtaining information about the motor, behavioral, and functional capabilities of individuals with Batten disease. This study will also refine and validate the Unified Batten Disease Rating Scale (UBDRS) as a clinical rating instrument for Batten disease.
The New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) Research Institute is performing this research to accelerate diverse disease research using cells from the body (such as skin or blood cells) to make stem cells and other types of cells, conduct research on the samples, perform genetic testing, and store the samples for future use. Through this research, researchers hope to identify future treatments or even cures for the major diseases of our time.
Background: In the U.S., about 53 million informal, unpaid caregivers provide care to a person who is ill, is disabled, or has age-related loss of function. These caregivers may be adult children, spouses, parents, or others. The stress of providing long-term care affects caregivers health and well-being. Researchers want to learn more about this stress and its effects. Objective: To learn how the caregiving process affects the health and well-being of caregivers over time. Eligibility: Adults aged 18 years and older who are caregivers for a person with a chronic medical condition and who have already given consent to take part in other study activities. Design: Participants will be put in different groups. They will complete some or all of the following tasks over 1 year. They may repeat these tasks once a year for up to 5 years. Participants will fill out 2 online surveys. One will ask about their health and their caregiving experience. The other will ask them to list people in their social network and their care recipient s social network who give them support. Participants will have a 2-part phone interview. It will be audio recorded. In part 1, they will be asked about the people they listed in the survey. In part 2, they will be asked about their caregiving experience and events in the care recipient s life. Participants may fill out a weeklong diary every 3 months. It will ask about their daily social activities, well-being, and stress levels. It will also ask about their thoughts and feelings about caregiving. Participants may give a blood sample each year they are in the study. ...
The purpose of this study is to understand the course of rare genetic disorders that affect the brain. This data is being analyzed to gain a better understanding of the progression of the rare neurodegenerative disorders and the effects of interventions.
The My Retina Tracker® Registry is sponsored by the Foundation Fighting Blindness and is for people affected by one of the rare inherited retinal degenerative diseases studied by the Foundation. It is a patient-initiated registry accessible via a secure on-line portal at www.MyRetinaTracker.org. Affected individuals who register are guided to create a profile that captures their perspective on their retinal disease and its progress; family history; genetic testing results; preventive measures; general health and interest in participation in research studies. The participants may also choose to ask their clinician to add clinical measurements and results at each clinical visit. Participants are urged to update the information regularly to create longitudinal records of their disease, from their own perspective, and their clinical progress. The overall goals of the Registry are: to better understand the diversity within the inherited retinal degenerative diseases; to understand the prevalence of the different diseases and gene variants; to assist in the establishment of genotype-phenotype relationships; to help understand the natural history of the diseases; to help accelerate research and development of clinical trials for treatments; and to provide a tool to investigators that can assist with recruitment for research studies and clinical trials.
The primary objective of the study is to determine the safety and feasibility of intrathecal administration of DUOC-01 as an adjunctive therapy in patients with inborn errors of metabolism who have evidence of early demyelinating disease in the central nervous system (CNS) who are undergoing standard treatment with unrelated umbilical cord blood transplantation (UCBT). The secondary objective of the study is to describe the efficacy of UCBT with intrathecal administration of DUOC-01 in these patients.