Sponsor or institution
Clinical trials and research at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary
As of November 12, 2026, Find a Trial lists 23 clinical trials run by Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary that are recruiting, at sites in 2 countries (most in United States (22), Switzerland (1)). By phase: Phase 2 (4), Early Phase 1 (2), Phase 1/2 (2). There are also 142 NIH-funded research projects at this institution, with $90.7 million in listed awards. Every study is explained in plain English. Data from ClinicalTrials.gov and NIH RePORTER, updated November 12, 2026.
- 23Clinical trials
- 142NIH research projects
- 2Countries
Newest trials
All recruiting trials (23)
-
Customizing cochlear implant programming based on inner ear nerve health
This study tests whether tailoring cochlear implant programming to how healthy different parts of the hearing nerve are can improve understanding of speech in noisy environments.
-
Vestibular Implant: Test if stimulation helps spatial orientation, navigation, and thinking
This study tests whether turning on a vestibular implant can help people with severe vestibular loss perform spatial tasks, navigate, and think more clearly.
-
Lactobacillus plantarum 299v Probiotic for Diabetic Macular Edema
A probiotic pill taken twice daily for four months is tested to see if it can help people with diabetic macular edema see better or need fewer eye injections.
-
Reducing follow-up visits for cochlear implant patients using a new mapping strategy
This study is testing a new way to program cochlear implants to see if adults can have fewer follow-up visits while still feeling satisfied and hearing well.
-
Combined glaucoma screening during diabetic eye exams
This program tests whether adding an AI review of retinal photos, a quick eye pressure check, and a virtual-reality side-vision test to routine diabetic eye screening helps find glaucoma earlier in people with diabetes.
-
Using blood tests to monitor skin cancer treatment
This study is testing whether blood tests can help track how well treatment is working for people with skin cancer called cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma.
-
Ex vivo cross-linking of donor corneas for high-risk vascularized keratoplasty
This test sees if treating donor corneas with ex vivo cross-linking before transplant is safe for adults having high-risk vascularized penetrating keratoplasty.
-
Blood test to detect cancer recurrence in head and neck patients
This study is testing a personalized blood test to see if it can help predict if head and neck cancer will come back after treatment.
-
Gentle noise stimulator to improve balance and walking in older adults
This test will try a gentle, sub‑sensory electrical noise device (like a TENS) to see if it immediately improves balance and walking speed in older adults with reduced balance.
-
Comparing Hydrus Microstent and Goniotomy for Glaucoma Treatment
This study is testing whether the Hydrus Microstent works better than goniotomy for lowering eye pressure in people with mild to moderate glaucoma who are also having cataract surgery.
-
Topical netarsudil to prevent scar-like membranes after retinal detachment surgery
This trial will test whether once-daily netarsudil eye drops given before and after vitrectomy can help prevent proliferative vitreoretinopathy (scar tissue) in adults with retinal detachment or established PVR.
-
Understanding how cochlear implants affect hearing in children and adults
This study is trying to see how cochlear implants help both children and adults hear better and how they adjust to the changes over time.
-
Validation of a deep learning platform for diagnosing isolated dystonia
This study is testing a new deep learning tool to see if it can help doctors diagnose isolated dystonia more accurately and quickly.
-
Examining brain function in laryngeal dystonia and voice tremor
This study is testing how brain function differs in people with laryngeal dystonia and voice tremor compared to healthy individuals to better understand these voice disorders.
-
Evaluating voice disorders like laryngeal dystonia and voice tremor
This study is testing new ways to tell the difference between laryngeal dystonia and voice tremor to help people get the right treatment for their voice disorders.
-
Deep Brain Stimulation for Voice Disorders in Dystonia and Tremor
This study is testing if deep brain stimulation can improve voice problems in people with laryngeal dystonia and essential tremor.
-
High-dose atorvastatin to improve dark adaptation in intermediate AMD
This trial tests whether taking high-dose atorvastatin (80 mg) can speed dark adaptation recovery in people with high-risk intermediate age-related macular degeneration.
-
Using N-acetyl cysteine eye drops to treat Fuchs Endothelial Corneal Dystrophy
This study is testing if N-acetyl cysteine eye drops can help people with Fuchs Endothelial Corneal Dystrophy and cataracts feel better and improve their eye health before surgery.
-
Using brain-computer interfaces to treat laryngeal dystonia
This study is testing a new brain-computer interface treatment to see if it can help people with laryngeal dystonia speak more easily and improve their quality of life.
-
Dexamethasone-releasing contact lens for recurrent cystoid macular edema
This pilot will test a dexamethasone-releasing contact lens to see if it's safe, tolerable, and comfortable for adults with recurrent cystoid macular edema.
-
Investigating how IV lidocaine affects tinnitus using fMRI
This study is testing if an IV lidocaine treatment can change brain activity and help people with tinnitus feel better.
-
Exploring genetic and brain imaging factors in laryngeal dystonia
This study is trying to see how genetics and brain changes are linked in people with laryngeal dystonia to help understand the condition better and find early signs in those at risk.
-
Brain network patterns in focal dystonia
Researchers will use MRI scans and blood tests to try to find brain and genetic differences in adults with focal dystonia, their unaffected relatives, and healthy volunteers.
NIH-funded research (newest 40 of 142)
Early-stage science funded by the US National Institutes of Health. Most of these projects don't enroll patients, but they show what is being worked on.
-
Vestibular implant to help people with severe balance problems improve orientation and thinking
A vestibular implant is being tested in adults with severe vestibular damage to see if long-term stimulation can improve spatial orientation, navigation, and related cognitive functions.
-
Fluorescence lifetime imaging to track B cells during cancer immunotherapy
This grant will develop noninvasive imaging to watch how B cells change during immunotherapy in liver cancer models, with the goal of guiding better treatments for patients.
-
Understanding how glaucoma genes control eye cell function
A long-term research project will study how genetic factors affect eye cells in adults with glaucoma to uncover new ideas for protecting vision.
-
Auditory arousal and brain circuits in hearing loss and normal aging
Researchers are studying how hearing and arousal systems interact across wakefulness and sleep, especially after hearing loss, to understand how sounds influence alertness and behavior.
-
Intraoperative fluorescence lifetime imaging to guide oral cancer surgery
A surgeon-friendly imaging system uses fluorescence lifetime signals and real-time MRI/CT alignment to help remove only cancerous tissue during oral cancer operations.
-
Fluorescence lifetime imaging to measure PD-L1 target engagement in tumors
A new imaging method uses fluorescent tagging to see if PD-L1-targeting cancer therapies actually reach and bind their target inside head and neck tumors in patients.
-
Auditory brain changes after inner ear gene therapy in adults who are deaf
This grant tests how an adult with congenital deafness begins to hear after a gene therapy in the inner ear, and how the brain adapts to these new sounds.
-
Imaging the living human cochlea to guide therapy
Aims to improve noninvasive imaging of the human cochlea in living people so doctors can better diagnose problems and plan safe, targeted treatments.
-
Glaucoma risk prediction with advanced genetics and machine learning
Aiming to better predict who will develop glaucoma and how it might progress, using genetic information and smart computer methods so doctors can tailor care.
-
How the brain learns from practice through flexible brain circuits
A study in mice looks at how the brain learns from trial and error by linking sensory cues to movements through different brain circuits.
-
Genetic profiling of childhood glaucoma in India
A study will analyze the genetic makeup of children with glaucoma in India to better understand the causes and improve future diagnoses.
-
Point-of-care metagenomics for rapid detection of pathogens and antimicrobial resistance in eye infections
A rapid near-patient test aims to quickly identify eye infections and their drug resistance to guide targeted treatment.
-
CRISPR and gene editing approaches for large USH2A-related eye disease
Aims to develop gene-editing strategies to help people with USH2A-related retinal disease who cannot be treated with standard AAV gene therapy.
-
Scientific Core supports advanced cochlear research infrastructure
This grant funds a shared Engineering, Histology-Surgery, and Imaging Core to advance cochlear research with high-tech tools and collaboration.
-
Understanding why phantom sounds and intolerance to sounds happen after hearing loss
This grant investigates why some adults with hearing loss experience tinnitus, hyperacusis, and trouble ignoring background noise, and how brain changes relate to these symptoms.
-
Biomarkers linked to cochlear nerve damage in adults with sensorineural hearing loss
A project to find biological markers of cochlear nerve damage and see how they relate to hearing problems like difficulty hearing in noise and tinnitus in adults with hearing loss.
-
Cochlear nerve connections and hearing loss in human temporal bones
A large, patient-facing research effort analyzes how nerve connections in the inner ear deteriorate in people with sensorineural hearing loss by studying post-mortem human temporal bones.
-
Cochlear nerve disease and how it affects hearing in models of hearing loss
This grant studies how damage to the nerves of the ear happens and how it affects hearing in noisy places, using animal models to inform future human therapies.
-
Administrative Core for a multi-project eye research center
A central administrative hub supports four eye-related research projects by coordinating leaders, biostatistics, subject scheduling, and expert oversight.
-
Cochlear Synaptopathy and How It Affects Hearing with Age or Noise
This grant studies hidden damage to the nerves in the ear that can cause trouble hearing in noisy places, even when standard hearing tests look normal.
-
Massachusetts Eye and Ear joins a national network to study human ear pathology
A national, collaborative effort will collect and study human ear tissue from autopsies to better understand deafness and balance disorders, and to share images and data with researchers.
-
How practice reshapes brain circuits for learning
This work looks at how repeated practice changes brain connections that link sights to actions, which could help explain learning differences in autism.
-
Next-generation clinical profiling for laryngeal dystonia and voice tremor
A multi-site program is exploring what makes laryngeal dystonia and voice tremor different from other conditions, aiming to improve diagnosis and targeted treatments for people affected by these voice disorders.
-
Fluorescence lifetime imaging to highlight tumors during diagnosis and surgery
A new imaging approach uses light that lasts longer in tumor areas to help doctors see cancers more clearly during diagnosis and surgery.
-
AAV-based gene editing to treat inherited hearing loss (DFNA41 and DFNA2)
A gene-editing therapy delivered by AAV aims to treat certain inherited forms of hearing loss in adults and children.
-
Improving Cochlear Implant Outcomes with 3-D Modeling and Patient-Specific Programming
This project aims to help people with cochlear implants get better hearing by using 3-D models of the inner ear and individual patient data to tailor how implants are programmed.
-
Vestibular implant helps people with severe inner-ear damage balance and thinking
A vestibular implant is being tested to see if it helps people with severe vestibular damage feel more oriented and better navigate, while researchers also compare to patients with different levels of vestibular impairment.
-
Improving balance and walking in older adults with gentle vestibular electrical stimulation
This uses very small, nearly unnoticeable electrical pulses to the balance system to help balance and walking in older adults with age-related vestibular loss.
-
Unraveling how aging affects balance from ear signals to brain processing
This project explores why balance worsens with age by studying how vestibular signals, vision, and touch interact with brain processing to cause falls in older adults.
-
Metabolomics approach to uncover how age-related macular degeneration develops
A patient-facing look at how we study small molecules in blood and eye tissue to understand why people develop AMD and how it progresses.
-
Precision medicine for inherited retinal degenerations
A patient-facing overview of a research project to uncover genetic causes of inherited retinal degenerations and develop therapies to prevent vision loss.
-
Vestibular implant to improve thinking, navigation, and balance after inner-ear damage
A vestibular implant is being offered to people with severe inner-ear balance damage to help improve thinking, spatial orientation, and navigation.
-
Imaging genetics of laryngeal dystonia
A research project aims to find brain and genetic signs that help detect and differentiate laryngeal dystonia earlier and more accurately.
-
Gene therapy approach to Usher syndrome type 1F using compact PCDH15 in the inner ear
A researcher team is developing a compact gene therapy using specially designed PCDH15 pieces delivered by AAV to the inner ear to help people with Usher syndrome type 1F.
-
Finding Missing Genetic Causes Behind Inherited Vision Loss
Researchers are studying rare genetic changes to better understand why inherited retinal degenerations happen and how this could improve diagnosis and treatment for patients with these eye diseases.
-
Rapid Diagnosis of Eye Infections with a Highly Sensitive, Multi-Pathogen Test
A new, fast test for eye infections uses NanoString technology to detect many pathogens at once, helping doctors choose the right treatment sooner.
-
Glaucoma screening that uses AI to catch the disease early
A new screening program uses AI-driven eye tests to detect glaucoma early, especially in underserved communities.
-
Telemedicine plus in-person care for diabetic eye disease
A nationwide eye hospital team is testing whether combining telemedicine with traditional eye exams can keep people with diabetic retinopathy healthier and reduce vision loss.
-
VIP signaling in the brain’s learning circuits
This project looks at how a brain chemical called VIP helps the auditory cortex change when we learn new sounds.
-
Cerebral Visual Impairment: a new bedside-friendly eye-tracking plus neuropsychology test kit
A small study will combine quick brain-based visual tests with mobile eye tracking to better diagnose cerebral visual impairment in children.
Quick answers
How many clinical trials run by Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary are recruiting right now?
23, as of November 12, 2026. We update this list each time we refresh our data from ClinicalTrials.gov.
Where are these trials running?
In 2 countries. The most sites are in United States (22 trials), Switzerland (1 trial). Each study page lists its sites and which ones are recruiting.
What phases are they in?
Phase 2: 4, Early Phase 1: 2, Phase 1/2: 2. Trials with no phase listed are usually device, behavioural or observational studies.
How do I join one?
Open a study, check the "Is this trial a fit for you?" section, then contact the study team listed on the page. They will ask a few screening questions. Asking is free and does not commit you to anything. Talk it over with your doctor first.
Find the studies that fit you
A list is a starting point. Tell us your situation in your own words and we'll rank the studies that match and explain why. It's free and needs no account.