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Rare DisorderNCT07314736

Stakeholders of Rare Diseases Informing Values In Neuroethics

An observational study of Rare Disorder and Disorder, Neurologic, run by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital at 1 site in United States.

Recruiting

Looking for participants now. Contact the study team or a site below to ask about taking part.

Sites and contacts
Official record
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Trial summary

The purpose of this research study is to learn more about the perspectives of key stakeholders-patients, families, healthcare providers, and researchers-on the ethical challenges of small-scale, personalized treatment trials for rare neurological diseases (RND). Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Any age
Conditions the study is for
Rare Disorder, Disorder, Neurologic
How many people
385 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
8 Jul 2026to Jan 2031
Phase
Observational
Are there results?
Not yet: the study is under way

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages Any age
  • All sexes
  • Child, Adult, Older adult

Study population: Those who meet the Eligibility Criteria and agree to participate.

Who may be able to join

  • Group 1 (Parental Caregiver and Patient Participants)
  • Parental/primary caregiver with a child who has a genetic diagnosis of an ultrarare disorder with pediatric onset, or a clinical diagnosis with a suspected genetic etiology.
  • Child is under 21 years of age at the time of enrollment.
  • Child has an expected survival of at least one year following study enrollment.
  • Patients (age ≤ 25 years) with a genetic diagnosis of an ultrarare disorder with pediatric onset, or clinical diagnosis with suspected genetic etiology.
  • Willingness to provide verbal informed consent (or assent, as appropriate) to participate
Show all 15Show fewer
  • Group 2 (Other Family)
  • Family member of a Group 1 participant who plays an active role in the child's life or care.
  • Includes siblings (≥ 13 years of age), grandparents, or other non-primary caregivers directly affected by the child's diagnosis.
  • Demonstrated familiarity with the child's medical and family experience.
  • Willingness to provide verbal informed consent (or assent, as appropriate) to participate.
  • Group 3 (Non-Family Stakeholders)
  • Individuals currently engaged, or recently active, in clinical care, research, advocacy or policy work related to pediatric-onset rare genetic disorders.
  • May include clinicians (e.g., neurologists, genetic counselors, nurses, child-life specialists, home-health staff), members of patient-advocacy organizations, institutional-review-board (IRB) members, payers, sponsors, funders, or representatives of hospital systems or regulatory agencies.
  • Willingness to provide verbal informed consent to participate in semi-structured interviews or focus groups

Who cannot join

  • Limited English proficiency
  • Unable to complete the survey materials or complete the interviews in English.
  • Inability or unwillingness of research participant to give verbal informed consent (in English)
  • Condition or chronic illness, which in the opinion of the PI/Co-I, makes participation unsafe or untenable (i.e., cognitive impairment, concurrent acute morbidity).

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.

Liza M. Johnson, MD, MPH, MSB contact

888-226-4343

referralinfo@stjude.org

United States1 site, 1 recruiting
  • St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

    Memphis, Tennessee, 38105

    Liza M. Johnson, MD, MPH, MSB, 888-226-4343, referralinfo@stjude.org

    Liza M. Johnson, MD, MPH, MSB

    Recruiting

Other trials in United States

About this study

The purpose of this research study is to learn more about the perspectives of key stakeholders-patients, families, healthcare providers, and researchers-on the ethical challenges of small-scale, personalized treatment trials for rare neurological diseases (RND).

Read the detailed description

Primary Objectives

  • To utilize semi-structured interviews to identify key stakeholder preferences and gather recommendations for the ethical conduct of n-of-few approaches in pediatric patients with rare neurological diseases (RND).
  • Identify key challenges and best practices for informed consent and communication strategies for personalized interventions in pediatric RND trials.
  • To develop a best practice framework for the ethical conduct of research involving personalized interventions for children with catastrophic RND.

Secondary Objectives

  • To use surveys to quantitatively measure trust in health care providers and medical researchers, quality of life, and resilience in families of a patient or patients with an RND.
  • To elicit feedback from patients and families on their perceived utility of existing patient reported outcome (PROs) measures relevant to capturing their illness experience and needs.

This study will employ a mixed-methods approach to comprehensively understand the perspectives of families and non-family stakeholders regarding personalized research programs in super-rare, catastrophic neurologic disorders. The study will utilize validated surveys, semi-structured interviews, and focus groups.

Group 1: Primary Caregivers/Patients (Longitudinal Approach)

  • Participants will complete validated quality-of-life inventories at baseline and once-to-twice per year over the study period.
  • Semi-structured interviews will be conducted at the time of enrollment, then approximately every 6 months through the end of the study period, focusing on:
  • Views on a priori-defined research ethics topics.
  • Understanding the family's illness experience and any significant changes since the previous interview.
  • Reflective recaps of previous interviews to identify shifts in attitudes.

Group 2: Other Family Stakeholders (Cross-Sectional Approach)

  • This group will participate in single interviews or focus groups, as determined by participant choice. Participants will be referred to study team by Group 1 participants and will be interviewed after their relative in Group 1 has completed at least one interview. They will provide insights into how families apply the concepts of the Belmont Report (e.g., autonomy and justice) to their experiences and define "benefit" and "risk" in the context of personalized treatments.
  • This portion of the study will focus on patient-reported outcomes (PROs) that are meaningful to families.

Group 3: Non-Family Stakeholders

  • Semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and listening sessions will be conducted to explore ethical best practices and potential pitfalls in delivering n-of-few therapies.
Keywords
Rare Neurological Disorders (RND), Stakeholders, Patient Participant, Caregiver, Other Family, Non-Family Stakeholder
Medical subject headings
Rare Diseases, Nervous System Diseases

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

Study groups in NCT07314736
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Primary Caregivers/PatientsPrimary caregivers of children/young adults (age 21 or younger) and patients (age 25 or younger) diagnosed with a super-rare, catastrophic neurologic disorder without definitive FDA-approved treatment.
Other Family StakeholdersSiblings (13 years or older) and extended family members (e.g., grandparents) and primary caregivers who prefer not to participate in the longitudinal component
Non-Family StakeholdersNon-family stakeholders involved in the clinical care or investigational treatments of children with catastrophic illnesses.

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Identifying key stakeholder preferences and recommendations for the ethical conduct of n-of-few approaches in pediatric patients with rare neurological diseases (RND) utilizing semi-structured interviews

    Semi-structured interviews will be analyzed using MAXQDA software to identify themes though a systematic and standardized process. A deductive approach willl be used to formulate initial codes based on research questions and interview guides developed. Additional themes and codes will be developed using an inductive approach where new codes are allowed to emerge after review of the transcripts by three study team members trained in content analysis. To compensate for the multiple appearance of a code in a single interview, the percentage of patients for whom the code appeared will be tallied. Codes will be grouped and identified as a theme that captures the shared meaning. The definitions of each of the combined codes will be compared to arrive at a final definition for each theme. As with the codes, the frequency of occurrence of each theme and the percentage of patients to which each theme applied will be tallied, as well as inter-rater reliability.

    Measured: At baseline and every 6 months until end of study, approximately 5 years (Group 1); Once, within 60 days of enrollment (single interview per Group 2 and 3 participant)

  2. Identify key challenges and ethics-informed best practices for the development and implementation of personalized or n-of-few genomic interventions for rare and catastrophic pediatric disorders.

    Semi-structured interviews will be analyzed using MAXQDA software to identify themes though a systematic and standardized process. A deductive approach will be used to formulate initial codes based on research questions and interview guides developed. Additional themes and codes will be developed using an inductive approach where new codes are allowed to emerge after review of the transcripts by three study team members trained in content analysis. To compensate for the multiple appearance of a code in a single interview, the percentage of patients for whom the code appeared will be tallied. Codes will be grouped and identified as a theme that captures the shared meaning. The definitions of each of the combined codes will be compared to arrive at a final definition for each theme. As with the codes, the frequency of occurrence of each theme and the percentage of patients to which each theme applied will be tallied, as well as inter-rater reliability.

    Measured: At baseline and every 6 months until end of study, approximately 5 years (Group 1); Once, within 60 days of enrollment (single interview per Group 2 and 3 participant)

  3. To develop a best practice framework for the ethical conduct of research involving personalized interventions for children with catastrophic genetic disorders of childhood onset.

    An interdisciplinary advisory panel of approximately 20 expert partners will be established. The panel will be presented with clearly defined problems-on elements of respect for persons (informed consent, parental autonomy), beneficence (risk-benefit assessments), justice (fair subject selection, equity) and research obligations, among others-which will be reframed to them from multiple perspectives (from results of Objective 1 and 2). The working group will engage in decisional analysis, identifying and evaluating value trade-offs through moral discussion and consensus. This iterative process of integrating normative content with empirical findings will then lead to practical recommendations, optimizing positives and minimizing negatives.

    Measured: The panel will meet quarterly, beginning formal framework development in Year 3 until study completion, approximately 5 years.

Secondary outcomes (8)
  1. To elicit feedback from patients and families on their perceived utility of existing patient reported outcome (PROs) measures relevant to capturing their illness experience and needs.

    Parent and Patient-Reported Outcomes (PROs) will be quatified using the Patient Specific Functional Scale (PSFS). The parents or patient will identify five important activities that their child is having difficulty with as a result of their condition. The parent rates difficulty on an 11-point numerical scale (0= unable to perform the activity: 10= able to perform activity. The average score for the five activities is the PSFS score. (ages one month-21 years) Higher scores indicate better functional ability in patient-identified, meaningful daily activities; lower scores indicate greater functional limitation in those activities. Since the PSFS is individualized, not norm-referenced, scores are meant to track change within the same child over time, rather than functioning as a tool for interpersonal comparison.

    Measured: At baseline and every 6 months until end of study, approximately 5 years

  2. Human Connection Scale

    Caregiver trust in the child's health care provider will be assessed using the Human Connection Scale. This instrument evaluates how caregivers experience meaningful relationships within the health care context, including perceived empathy, understanding, emotional support, and attentiveness of the provider. Items are rated on a Likert-type scale reflecting agreement, confidence, or frequency and are summed to produce a total human connection score. Higher scores indicate greater perceived trust and stronger caregiver-provider relationships. Trust is examined as a factor that may influence caregiver willingness to pursue highly investigational treatments.

    Measured: Baseline, then approximately annually during the study period, approximately 5 years

  3. Trust in Medical Researchers Scale

    Caregiver trust in medical researchers and the research process will be measured using the Trust in Medical Researchers scale. This instrument assesses perceptions of researcher honesty, competence, transparency, and respect for participants, reflecting caregivers' experiences of meaningful relationships within the research context. Items are rated on a Likert-type scale and summed to generate an overall trust score. Higher scores indicate greater trust in medical researchers and the research enterprise.

    Measured: Baseline, then approximately annually during the study period, approximately 5 years.

  4. Caregiver Resilience (Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale)

    Caregiver resilience in the context of a child's catastrophic illness will be measured using the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC). The CD-RISC consists of 25 items assessing domains including persistence, adaptability, sense of control, optimism, coping with stress, burden, uncertainty, and fears. Items are rated on a 5-point Likert scale from 0 to 4 and summed to produce a total resilience score. Higher scores represent greater caregiver resilience.

    Measured: Baseline, then approximately every 6 months during the study period, approximately 5 years

  5. Baseline, then approximately every 6 months during the study period

    Caregiver support needs will be assessed using the Caregiver Support Assessment Tool (CSNAT). The CSNAT is a 14-item instrument designed to identify caregiver needs across two domains: support required to enable caregiving activities and support required for the caregiver's own well-being. Each item is rated on a 4-point scale ranging from "no more support needed" to "very much more support needed." Responses are used to generate a profile of unmet support needs across domains, with higher ratings indicating greater unmet need.

    Measured: Baseline, then approximately every 6 months during the study period, approximately 5 years.

  6. Infant Health-Related Quality of Life (PedsQL Infant Module)

    Infant health-related quality of life will be measured using the PedsQL Infant Module. This parent-proxy instrument includes 36 items for infants aged 1-12 months and 45 items for infants aged 13-24 months. Subscales assess physical functioning, physical symptoms, emotional functioning, social functioning, and cognitive functioning. Items are rated on a Likert scale, reverse scored, and linearly transformed to a 0-100 scale. Domain and total scores are calculated as averages of item scores, with higher scores indicating better quality of life.

    Measured: Baseline, then approximately every 6 months during the study period, approximately 5 years

  7. Child and Adolescent Health-Related Quality of Life (PedsQL v4.0 Generic Core Scales)

    Health-related quality of life in children and adolescents will be assessed using the PedsQL v4.0 Generic Core Scales. This 23-item instrument includes subscales measuring physical, emotional, social, and school functioning. Items are rated on a Likert scale, reverse coded, and transformed to a 0-100 scale. Domain and total scores are calculated as averages of item scores, with higher scores indicating better quality of life. Patient self-report and parent-proxy versions are used based on age. Items not meeting internal consistency thresholds will be reported descriptively.

    Measured: Baseline, then approximately every 6 months during the study period, approximately 5 years

  8. Neuromuscular Disease-Specific Quality of Life (PedsQL 3.0 Neuromuscular Module)

    Disease-specific quality of life will be measured using the PedsQL 3.0 Neuromuscular Module. This 25-item instrument includes three domains: neuromuscular disease symptoms and impacts, communication about illness, and family resources. Items are rated on a Likert scale, reverse coded, and transformed to a 0-100 scale. Domain and total scores are calculated as averages of item scores, with higher scores indicating better disease-specific quality of life and family functioning. This measure will be completed only by participants with neuromuscular conditions.

    Measured: Baseline, then approximately every 6 months during the study period, approximately 5 years

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted2 Jan 2026
  2. Study start8 Jul 2026
  3. Primary completionJan 2031 (estimated)
  4. Study completionJan 2031 (estimated)

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Observational
Observational model
Other
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrolment
385 participants (estimated)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT07314736
Sponsor's protocol ID
STRIVE
Status last verified
Jun 2026
First submitted
16 Dec 2025
Last updated
13 Jul 2026
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

An observational study of Rare Disorder and Disorder, Neurologic, run by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital at 1 site in United States.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 15 inclusion and 4 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 13 Jul 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

Contact Liza M. Johnson, MD, MPH, MSB (888-226-4343, referralinfo@stjude.org), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Identifying key stakeholder preferences and recommendations for the ethical conduct of n-of-few approaches in pediatric patients with rare neurological diseases (RND) utilizing semi-structured interviews (time frame: At baseline and every 6 months until end of study, approximately 5 years (Group 1); Once, within 60 days of enrollment (single interview per Group 2 and 3 participant)). The study lists 3 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 13 Jul 2026.

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