Portadown

Researchers are evaluating the effects of pelacarsen (TQJ230), given as a monthly injection under the skin, in people with mild to moderate calcific aortic valve stenosis. This study aims to see if pelacarsen can safely slow the progression of this heart valve condition compared to a placebo. The trial is a phase 2, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study conducted at multiple centers. Participants will receive either pelacarsen 80 mg or a matching placebo once a month. Before starting the treatment, they must have elevated lipoprotein(a) levels and be optimally treated for existing cardiovascular risk factors. The study focuses on those aged 50 to under 80 years with mild or moderate calcific aortic valve stenosis. During the 36 months of participation, researchers will monitor changes in peak aortic jet velocity and aortic valve calcium score to assess disease progression. Safety, tolerability, and the impact of the treatment will be evaluated. Participants will undergo regular assessments, including laboratory tests and clinical evaluations, to track heart valve condition and overall health throughout the study.

Researchers are evaluating the safety and effectiveness of finerenone compared to a placebo in patients hospitalized with acute decompensated heart failure who have mildly reduced or preserved left ventricular ejection fraction. This international, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 3 trial aims to understand how finerenone affects morbidity and mortality in this patient group. Participants will receive either oral finerenone or a matching oral placebo. The study focuses on patients currently hospitalized or recently discharged with heart failure symptoms and specific heart function measures. The trial is event-driven and will continue for up to approximately 30 months to collect sufficient data on outcomes. During the study, researchers will monitor the total number of heart failure events and cardiovascular deaths, as well as track serious adverse events and any adverse events that lead participants to stop the study drug. These ongoing assessments will help evaluate the overall safety and impact of the treatment over the duration of the trial.

Researchers are investigating the use of EEG-based Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) technology to detect awareness and enable communication in individuals with disorders of consciousness, including unresponsive wakefulness syndrome (UWS), minimally conscious state (MCS), and locked-in syndrome (LIS). The study explores whether these patients can imagine movements and use brain activity patterns to communicate, aiming to improve diagnostic accuracy and provide alternative communication methods for those unable to produce consistent motor responses. Participants undergo a three-phase study involving EEG-based BCI assessments and training. Phase I (sessions 1-2) evaluates the ability to imagine movements and produce detectable brain activity. Phase II (sessions 3-6) involves motor imagery BCI training with neurofeedback to help participants learn to modulate brain activity. Phase III (sessions 7-10) assesses the ability to use imagined movements to answer yes/no questions across various categories such as biographical and situational awareness. The BCI system uses combinations of imagined movements (left arm, right arm, feet) to represent answers. During the study, participants complete about 10 sessions of approximately 1.5 hours each, involving training and assessment tasks. Researchers monitor changes in performance accuracy using the BCI before and after training and evaluate the ability to consistently communicate yes/no responses over multiple sessions. Assessments include brain activity recordings, neurofeedback, and responses to structured questions. The study also examines how BCI technology may complement clinical assessments and potentially offer therapeutic benefits.

Researchers are evaluating whether certain drugs can slow down the progression of motor neuron disease (MND) and improve survival. This study uses a multi-arm adaptive design, meaning several treatments are tested simultaneously and can be changed based on emerging results. The trial initially started with memantine, trazodone, and placebo, later adding amantadine and tacrolimus. Some drugs were removed due to lack of benefit, allowing efficient assessment of multiple treatments over time. The drugs tested are already approved for other conditions and were selected through a thorough review by MND experts, considering safety and previous research quality. Participants receive one of the study medicines or a matched placebo, administered once daily either as oral solutions or capsules, depending on the drug. The current arms include amantadine, liquid placebo matched to amantadine, tacrolimus capsules, and capsule placebo matched to tacrolimus. Participants are randomly assigned to the treatments they are eligible for. The study allows new drugs to be added or ineffective ones dropped based on ongoing results, supporting a flexible and comprehensive evaluation. During the 18-month study period, researchers monitor participants' motor function decline using the ALS Functional Rating Scale and track survival. Participants undergo assessments including questionnaires and clinical evaluations to measure the effects of the treatments. Safety is closely monitored, and participants must follow specific guidelines such as contraception and consent procedures. The adaptive design aims to provide clear evidence about which treatments might benefit people with MND over time.

This study is open to adults and adolescents aged 12 to under 18 with bronchiectasis. People can participate in this study if they produce sputum and have had flare-ups (also called exacerbations). The purpose of this study is to find out whether a medicine called BI 1291583 helps people with bronchiectasis. Participants are put into 2 groups randomly, which means by chance. One group takes BI 1291583 tablets and the other group takes placebo tablets. A placebo tablet looks like the BI 1291583 tablet but does not contain any medicine. Participants take 1 tablet once a day for up to 1 year and 6 months. Participants are in the study for up to 1 year and 8 months. During this time, participants visit the study site up to 10 times and get about 13 phone calls from the site staff. Participants regularly complete a diary on a smartphone about their bronchiectasis symptoms and study doctors regularly check for any changes. The study doctors document when participants experience flare-ups. The number of flare-ups is compared between the participants who receive BI 1291583 and those who receive the placebo. The study doctors also regularly check participants' health and take note of any unwanted effects.