Clinical trialUNITERAREApr 3
Researchers are testing a new medicine called glycerol tributyrate to see if it can help people with two rare mitochondrial diseases: MELAS (a condition that causes brain inflammation, acid buildup in the blood, and stroke-like episodes) and LHON-Plus (a condition that damages the optic nerve and causes vision loss). This is an early-stage study that will enroll patients starting in April 2026.
WHY IT MATTERSThis is the first clinical trial testing glycerol tributyrate specifically in MELAS and LHON-Plus patients, offering a potential new treatment option for these currently untreatable mitochondrial disorders.
Clinical trialUNITERAREApr 3
Researchers at New York State Institute for Basic Research are testing a new treatment called transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in children with autism. This treatment uses mild electrical currents applied to the scalp to potentially help with autism symptoms. The study is now accepting children to participate and will begin in April 2026.
WHY IT MATTERSThis trial offers families with autistic children a chance to explore a non-medication brain stimulation approach that may help with core autism symptoms, with enrollment actively opening at a major research institution.
Clinical trialUNITERAREApr 3
Researchers are looking for patients who need a procedure called a transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) to help study how blood clotting works in patients with liver disease. This trial will examine blood clotting patterns before and after the procedure to better understand how TIPS affects the body's ability to form and break down blood clots. The study is recruiting patients starting in April 2026 and is being run by hospitals in Paris.
WHY IT MATTERSThis trial is now recruiting patients undergoing TIPS placement — if you have advanced liver disease with portal hypertension and are scheduled for this procedure, you may be eligible to contribute to research that could improve how doctors manage bleeding risks in liver disease patients.
Clinical trialCLINICALTRIALSApr 2
Researchers in France are studying a new tool called MEKANOS that measures how strong bones are and predicts fracture risk in people with fibrous dysplasia, a rare bone disease. This clinical trial involves 20 patients and aims to solve a major problem doctors face: they currently have no good way to know which patients are at highest risk of bone breaks. The study could help doctors make better treatment decisions for this condition.
WHY IT MATTERSThis trial addresses a critical gap in fibrous dysplasia care—doctors currently lack reliable tools to predict which patients will experience fractures, making this the first systematic assessment of fracture risk in this population.
Clinical trialCLINICALTRIALSApr 1
Researchers are looking for 88 people with Fragile X Syndrome or Creatine Transporter Deficiency to test a new imaging technology that can see how the brain works. Both of these are genetic conditions that affect how the brain develops and cause intellectual disability. This study might help doctors better understand and diagnose these conditions in the future.
WHY IT MATTERSThis trial is recruiting patients with two of the most common X-linked intellectual disability disorders and may provide a new diagnostic tool that could improve how these conditions are identified and monitored.
Clinical trialCLINICALTRIALSApr 1
Researchers are looking for 3,100 people to join a study about why patients don't take their medications as prescribed. The study will test a new approach to help people stick to their treatment plans, which could improve their health and reduce unnecessary hospital visits. About half of all patients don't take their medicines the right way, and this problem gets worse when treatment also requires lifestyle changes.
WHY IT MATTERSThis trial directly addresses medication non-adherence across multiple rare disease categories, meaning patients with rare conditions could benefit from proven strategies to better manage their treatments and health outcomes.
Clinical trialCLINICALTRIALSApr 1
This is a continuation study for patients who are already taking the cancer drugs dabrafenib and/or trametinib and have done well on them. If your doctor thinks you're still benefiting from these medications after your original trial ends, you may be able to keep taking them through this new study. The study is looking for about 100 patients with various types of cancer including melanoma, lung cancer, and brain tumors.
WHY IT MATTERSThis rollover study allows patients whose cancers are responding well to dabrafenib and/or trametinib to continue access to these drugs after their original trial ends, rather than losing treatment.
Clinical trialCLINICALTRIALSApr 1
Researchers are testing a new technology called SmartMatch that helps doctors find the best cancer medicines for patients with rare brain and spinal cord tumors. The technology works by taking a small piece of tumor removed during surgery and testing it against different drugs to see which ones work best. The study wants to see if SmartMatch can complete this analysis and give doctors a report within 3 weeks of surgery. This trial is looking for 80 patients with various types of brain tumors.
WHY IT MATTERSThis trial offers patients with recurrent or advanced brain tumors access to personalized drug testing that could identify the most effective treatment for their specific tumor type within weeks of surgery.
Clinical trialCLINICALTRIALSApr 1
Researchers are testing a combination of two cancer drugs called dabrafenib and trametinib in patients with rare tumors that have a specific genetic change called BRAF V600E. This is a phase IV study, which means the drugs have already been approved and doctors are gathering more information about how well they work. The study will include children (age 1 and up) and adults, and is currently looking for 40 patients to participate.
WHY IT MATTERSIf you have a rare solid tumor with a BRAF V600E mutation and your doctor has already recommended dabrafenib plus trametinib treatment, this trial offers an opportunity to participate in research that could help future patients while receiving the same treatment your doctor planned for you anyway.
Clinical trialCLINICALTRIALSMar 31
Researchers are building a large international database to collect information and tissue samples from children, teens, and young adults with rare brain tumors. By gathering this data from 5,800 patients, scientists hope to better understand these uncommon cancers and develop better treatments. The study is currently looking for patients to participate.
WHY IT MATTERSThis registry directly addresses rare brain tumors like astroblastoma and BCOR ITD sarcoma that have limited research data—participating patients contribute to the only large-scale international effort to understand these specific tumor types.