Research: Clinical Trials
Biomedical research holds the greatest hope for unraveling the mysteries of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). Many persons with CFS (PWCs) have inquired about opportunities to participate in research studies. The CFIDS Association of America does not recommend or endorse participation in any specific medical research study and assumes no responsibility for the safe or ethical conduct of the studies listed below.
The Association provides this information as a service to persons with CFIDS and related disorders who are interested in participating in medical research, and for researchers who are seeking subjects for their studies.
Patients: Please also see databases and other listings of clinical trials and resources for those considering enrolling in a study.
Researchers: to inquire about listing your study on this page, please write to research@cfids.org. Please let us know when your studies are no longer recruiting subjects so we can keep this page current.
Studies currently recruiting patients with CFS or related conditions
The CFIDS Association of America regularly issues funding announcements as part of its research grants program. Its most recent Request for Applications was issued on March 3, 2008. For more information about this funding opportunity, please visit http://www.cfids.org/profresources/2008rfa.asp.
Huntsman Cancer Institute
Participants wanted for study of chronic fatigue
Individuals who have had severe, unexplained fatigue for at least six months and who have no serious abnormalities on medical tests are wanted for a study of chronic fatigue. Patients who qualify for the study will be asked to complete three questionnaires over a six month period. Participating in the study will not alter the treatment that your physician gives you. The purpose of the study is to evaluate whether patients treated by certain types of physicians improve faster than patients treated by other types of physicians. Patients do not need to live in the Salt Lake City area. Questionnaires will be mailed to study participants or can be completed online. If you are interested in participating, please contact the study coordinator, Kathleen O’Connor, Huntsman Cancer Institute in Salt Lake City, UT, by phone (801) 587-4741 or email kathleen.oconnor@hci.utah.edu for more information.
Center for Pediatric Hypotension
VASCULAR DYSFUNCTION IN CFS
Researchers at the Center for Pediatric Hypotension at New York Medical College in Valhalla NY have received funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study whether circulatory problems explain the symptoms and signs of the chronic fatigue syndrome in teenagers. Principal Investigator is Julian M. Stewart MD, PhD, and Professor of Pediatrics and of Physiology at New York Medical College.
The overall objective of the study is to determine the biochemical mechanisms of CFS/POTS (postural tachycardia syndrome) as they relate to changes in nitric oxide and angiotensin, and to explore the possibility of subclinical, microvascular abnormalities in those CFS patients without POTS. If POTS is present they will also test medications used for treating POTS which may help teenagers with CFS.
They are seeking patients aged 15-29 years old patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) with or without any overt form of cardiovascular or circulatory disease. Details on this study can be found at www.syncope.org.
For further information please contact the Study Coordinator:
Courtney Terelli, BS, RN.
Nurse Research Coordinator
914-593-8888
Courtney_Terelli@NYMC.edu
Duke University Medical Center
TROUBLE SLEEPING WITH CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME?
If you are between the ages of 21 and 65, and have both chronic fatigue syndrome and trouble falling asleep or staying asleep at night, you may qualify to participate in a research study at the Duke Insomnia and Sleep Research Program
The purpose of the study is to determine how to best manage the sleep problems of people with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). During the study, you will receive medical care for CFS and may also learn new strategies to improve sleep. You will not be prescribed any experimental drugs. The study lasts about four months and will involve about 13 visits to Duke University Medical Center. One of the required visits is an overnight stay in the Duke Sleep Lab. The remaining visits are office visits, which are scheduled during normal business hours (8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.). Compensation is $260 for those who successfully complete all study procedures. You may not be eligible to participate if you have another serious medical illness, mental health condition, or sleep disorder (such as sleep apnea or restless legs).
For more information about the study, please contact the study coordinator below:
Study Coordinator:
Jackie Jones-Alexander
(919) 684-8385
j.jones-alexander@duke.edu
IRB#0002157
UMDNJ
Patients who have chronic fatigue syndrome, who do not meet criteria for fibromyalgia, are being recruited for a treatment study using the sleep drug Xyrem. Volunteers for this study will complete paper and pencil questionnaires about their symptoms as well as a computerized test to assess their degree of brain fog. They will then be randomly assigned to one of two groups, placebo or drug. Volunteers will not know what group they are in until the end of the study. Only the drug group will receive the medication. The placebo group will receive a substance that looks identical to the real medicine but with no active ingredients. The medication comes as a liquid and patients will start taking an initial dose about 30 min before they expect to sleep. If subjects awaken after less than 5 hrs of sleep, they will take a second dose. If they sleep more than 5 hrs, they will be told to skip taking the second dose. We will call patients weekly to see how they are doing on the “drug.” If they have tolerable side effects or report significant improvement, we will maintain the dose. But if patients report no effect of treatment, the dosage will be incremented by 1 ml per week until good sleep is achieved or a predetermined maximum is reached.
Volunteers for the study will be reimbursed $50 for each of their two visits to our offices for their time and travel expenses to the center in Newark, NJ.
For further information contact:
Malusha Fobler
University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey
Phone: 973-972-4800
Email: foblermm@umdnj.edu
Or view http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00498485?term=cfs+xyrem&rank=1
Hunter-Hopkins Center
Do you or someone you know suffer from Fibromyalgia?
If you are between the ages of 18 and 65 and are experiencing widespread pain, stiffness, and difficulty sleeping lasting for 3 months or longer, you may be eligible for participation in a 15 week clinical research study of an investigational treatment for Fibromyalgia Syndrome.
Qualified Participants will receive at no cost
- Study related examinations
- Laboratory assessments
- Investigational study medication or placebo
For further information or to see if you may qualify, please contact a research site in your area: Hunter-Hopkins Center
10344 Park Road, Suite 300
Charlotte, NC 28210
drlapp@drlapp.net
704-543-9692 ask for Wendy Fallick, Research Coordinator
The Center of Community Research at DePaul University
The Center of Community Research at DePaul University is working to investigate the symptoms of CFS in children and adolescents in order recognize CFS in a younger population and WE NEED YOUR HELP!
- We are looking for ANY children between the ages 5-17 and their parent/caregiver to complete the DePaul Pediatric Health Questionnair(DPHQ) The DPHQ is anonymous and can be returned by mail.
- The DPHQ is a short questionnaire (about 15-30 min.)
Please help us collect data to learn more about pediatric CFS by completing the DPHQ with your child!Contact: Elizabeth Shelleby eshelleby@depaul.edu or by phone at 773-325-1897.
New York Medical College Seeks Adolescents with CFS
Sponsored by: National Institutes of Health
Principal Investigator: Julian Stewart, MD
Center for Pediatric Hypotension
New York Medical College
Valhalla, N.Y.
Telephone: 914-594-4370
CFS patients ages 13-19 are being recruited for a NIH-funded study investigating the hypothesis of circulatory dysfunction in CFS. Recent investigations indicate that most teenagers with CFS have a form of chronic orthostatic intolerance (the inability to remain upright without symptoms) called the postural tachycardia syndrome (POTS), which impairs blood flow and heart rate, and sometimes causes a fall in blood pressure. These patients have symptoms of chronic orthostatic intolerance including dizziness, fatigue, nausea, headache, pallor and neurocognitive loss (difficulty thinking), which overlap with the case definition of CFS. Our study will determine how often POTS occurs, the mechanism(s) of POTS in individual patients and the effectiveness of a medication used for treating POTS in adolescents with CFS. For more information, see the study website.
Other listings for Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov is the National Institutes of Health's database with information on more than 4,000 federal and private medical studies involving patients at more than 47,000 locations nationwide. Center Watch Clinical Trials Listing Service lists more than 41,000 industry- and government-sponsored clinical trials, as well as new drug therapies recently approved by the FDA.
- Current Controlled Trials is a multi-national effort to provide information about thousands of research studies worldwide.
Resources For Those Considering Enrolling in a Study
Here are some resources to help you evaluate whether participating in a research study is right for you. Please consult with your personal physician about such matters for further information.
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