Development of a Therapeutic Endpoint in Pediatric Rheumatologic Conditions

April 3, 2026 updated by: Julia Finkel, Children's National Research Institute
The overarching goal of this study is the development of a physiologic endpoint of pain and treatment effect in three distinct rheumatology populations. This would enable objective assessment of pain and treatment in these populations and enable a much more precise approach to treatment. Such an endpoint stands to significantly improve outcomes in these patients by eliminating the need for a trial-and-error approach to treatment. This is a single site observational study that aims to collect initial pilot data in three distinct patient groups. As this is observational, there is no randomization or blinding in the study. Patients will be followed for a period of one year after enrollment. Baseline measurements will be taken at the time of enrollment, and at each subsequent standard of care clinic visit as feasible, for a period of one year. As this is an observational study, there will be no change to the treatment for any patient due to research activities. The primary objective of this study is the characterization of the nociceptive index in three pediatric rheumatology populations. The secondary objective is the characterization of the nociceptive index in these populations in response to standard of care interventions. This is necessary to demonstrate the ability of this approach to serve as an endpoint of treatment effect.

Study Overview

Status

Recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

90

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • District of Columbia
      • Washington D.C., District of Columbia, United States, 20010
        • Recruiting
        • Children's National Health System
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Julia C Finkel, MD
        • Contact:

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

5 years to 21 years (Child, Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Probability Sample

Study Population

30 subjects from each of the three populations of interest will be enrolled for this study.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

In order to be eligible for inclusion in the study, an individual must meet all of the following criteria:

  • Male or female ≥ 5 years of age at screening.
  • Documentation of a JIA, SLE or FM diagnosis as evidenced by history

Exclusion Criteria:

Any individual who meets any of the following criteria will be excluded from participation in this study:

• Documented history of eye disease precluding pupillometry

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Intervention / Treatment
JIA
Patients ages 5-21 with a diagnosis of JIA.
Other: No Intervention
No Intervention
SLE
Patients ages 5-21 with a diagnosis of SLE.
Other: No Intervention
No Intervention
FM
Patients ages 5-21 with a diagnosis of FM.
Other: No Intervention
No Intervention

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Index Characterization
Time Frame: 1 Year
The primary objective of this study is the characterization of the nociceptive index in three pediatric rheumatology populations.
1 Year

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Treatment Effect
Time Frame: 1 Year
The secondary objective is the characterization of the nociceptive index in these populations in response to standard of care interventions. This is necessary to demonstrate the ability of this approach to serve as an endpoint of treatment effect.
1 Year

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Children's National Research Institute

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

July 16, 2021

Primary Completion (Estimated)

April 1, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

April 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

April 2, 2021

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 2, 2021

First Posted (Actual)

April 6, 2021

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

April 6, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 3, 2026

Last Verified

April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • Pro00015629

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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