Clinical Trials

Risk Factors for Acute Idiopathic
Transverse Myelitis

Principal Investigator – Dr. Neal Halsey
Study Number – 268

Johns Hopkins is currently enrolling new and recently diagnosed patients with idiopathic acute transverse myelitis (IATM) to study risk factors for the disease. This is a study conducted in collaboration with investigators at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Johns Hopkins Transverse Myelitis Center, under the auspices of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In this exploratory study, patients will be asked to complete a questionnaire detailing demographic, socioeconomic data, information regarding illness and underlying diseases, medications, immunizations, travel history and other physician visits in the preceding 24 months prior to the onset of idiopathic acute TM.

Interested patients should contact the study coordinators:

Yandong Qiang

410.955.2955

Chitra Krishnan

410.955.3129

Rosanna Setse

410.614.7797

Megan Quigg

410.955.3129

Douglas Kerr

410.955.3129

Neal Halsey

410.955.6964

The Use of Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy and Cytokine Measurements to Investigate Depression in Autoimmune Neurologic Diseases

Principal Investigator: Adam Kaplin, MD/PhD
Registered Protocol Number: 03-07-03-09

Johns Hopkins is currently enrolling TM, MS and non-autoimmune myelopathy patients in a prospective study (6 months follow-up) to investigate the epidemiology of cytokine-mediated depression and cognitive impairment in TM subjects compared to MS and non-autoimmune myelopathy controls.

Subjects will be followed longitudinally to determine if changes in cytokine levels and brain metabolites parallel changes in mood, cognition and neurologic outcomes. Acute new onset TM and MS patients between the ages of 18-65 years will be enrolled in this study.

Interested patients should contact the study coordinator, Samantha Bartner, at 410.502.2574 for more information.

High Dose Cyclophosphamide in the Treatment of Aggressive Multiple Sclerosis

Principal Investigator: Douglas A. Kerr, MD/PhD
Registered Protocol Number: 03-06-05-05

Johns Hopkins is currently enrolling MS patients for a clinical trial evaluating the safety and effectiveness of high dose cyclophosphamide.

Patients in the two-year study need to have aggressive relapsing-remitting MS, must be unable to tolerate or have failed to optimally respond to conventional therapy (Avonex, Betseron, Copaxone, Rebif) and are at high risk of disease progression and loss of function.

Interested patients should contact the study coordinator, Chitra Krishnan, at 410.955.3129 for more information.