Transverse Myelitis Clinical Trials

Find out more about clinical trials at Johns Hopkins.

Safety and Efficacy of Sustained Release Dalfampridine in TM

Primary Investigator: Michael Levy, MD, PhD

Dalfampridine, a sustained-release potassium channel blocker that has been shown to be effective in improving gait and other neurologic functions in multiple sclerosis, has the potential to improve gait and neurologic function in patients with transverse myelitis as this rare disorder shares a similar pathogenic process with multiple sclerosis. We are performing a clinical trial to test the efficacy of dalfampridine in patients with monophasic idiopathic TM.

Patients are eligible for participation that have been diagnosed with idiopathic TM, are age 18 to 70, and have gait impairment such that they are able to complete a 25 foot timed walk in at least 8 seconds and in no more than 45 seconds. Patients are ineligible for participation who are unable to walk, have been diagnosed with another recurrent disease of the central nervous system including, but not limited to, multiple sclerosis, recurrent TM, or neuromyelitis optica, have a history of seizure, are pregnant, have a known allergy or prior use of dalfampridine or any other formulation of 4-aminopyridine, have a history of severe alcohol or drug abuse, severe depression, psychiatric illness, or any other uncontrolled medical conditions.

Johns Hopkins Transverse Myelitis Center in Baltimore, MD is the only site conducting this study, which requires biweekly visits to the site over a 22 week period to test walking speeds and other outcome measures. Please contact Maureen Mealy at HopkinsTMCenter@jhmi.edu  if you are interested in learning more about the study.

Accelerated Cure Project

Principal Investigator: Dr Arun Venkatesan

The Accelerated Cure Project  is a multi-center central blood repository and database which allows us to investigate causes, better diagnostic methods, therapies, and eventually cures for transverse myelitis, neuromyelitis optica, and other related demyelinating disorders of the central nervous system.  These data are made available in a de-identified manner to researchers from around the world to help each of them with their individual efforts.  These researchers then share their data with the central repository so that we can all continue to learn more about these disorders every day.

It requires participants to fill out a questionnaire and contribute a blood sample.  Please contact Anthony Asemota at 410-502-6160 or aasemot2@jhmi.edu  for more information.

Find out more about ACP and the repository at: http://www.acceleratedcure.org/repository/index.php. 

CNS Growth Factor Release and Changes in the Inflammatory Environment in Response to Electrical Stimulation in Subjects with Inflammatory Myelopathies

Principal Investigator: Daniel Becker, MD

Volunteers with transverse myelitis, or multiple sclerosis, or NMO needed

The research is being done to study the effect of Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) cycling on factors in blood and spinal cord in people with history of spinal cord inflammation as seen in TM, MS, and NMO.  FES cycling is a method of applying low level electrical currents to the leg and buttock muscles to cause the weakened or paralyzed muscles to contract and produce a cycling motion of the legs.  The FES cycling in this study will be done through a device called the RT300-SL Cycle Ergometer (RT300). 

If you need additional information about a specific clinical research project or if you think that you may be eligible, please call the ICSCI Clinical Research Coordinator at 443-923-9235. Please be prepared to leave a detailed message, including the protocol number of the clinical research you are interested in and your contact information so that we may respond with a confidential message for you. You may also visit our website: www.spinalcordrecovery.org.

Quantification of Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer (RNFL) thickness using Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT)

Principal Investigator: Peter A Calabresi, MD, Professor of Neurology
Protocol #:  NA_00031163

We are seeking adults with neuromyelitis optica (age 18-65) to participate in a study using retinal optical coherence tomography (OCT). This research is being done to better understand visual disability by measuring the nerve fiber thickness in the eye. We hope that the scan of the nerve layer thickness in the eye will help us better understand damage caused over time in patients with neuromyelitis optica. Participants will have an eye scan to measure the thickness of the back of the eye (retinal structures) and be asked to read 3 vision charts with black and gray letters. The eye scan is a safe, non-invasive procedure. No eye drops will be administered and participants with glasses or contacts are welcome.  The eye scan and vision charts can be completed in approximately 30 minutes.  Interested participants should contact Maureen Mealy, BSN at 410-502-8672.

Johns Hopkins Neurology Biorepository

Principal Investigator: Carlos Pardo, MD.

The purpose of this study is to have an electronic database for patient information, as well as to collect blood, spinal fluid, and other samples from individuals being evaluated or treated for central nervous system diseases (multiple sclerosis, transverse myelitis, acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, neuromyelitis optica, HIV, or infections of the nervous system). We are also collecting information and samples from patients with other neurologic diseases such as migraine, neuropathy and sarcoidosis. Furthermore, volunteers can participate as healthy controls in order to support various research efforts.

We are collecting these samples and medical information so that they can be made available to research scientists who study these diseases. The goal of this research is to improve upon our ability to diagnose these conditions