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Multi-Center Development of a Novel Diagnostic Test for Alzheimer's Disease

NCT03560960 · Status: ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING · Phase: EARLY_PHASE1 · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 57

Last updated 2025-06-05

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

In this multi-center study, the investigators plan to develop a simple blood-based test for early detection of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The test is based on a single injection of Pramlintide, an amylin analogue and FDA-approved drug currently used for treatment of diabetes. The investigative team has provided evidence in humans with full-blown AD and AD-relevant mouse models that a single injection of Pramlintide transiently renders the blood brain barrier (BBB) more permeable to Amyloidbeta (Aß) peptides, allowing their efflux from the brain compartment into the blood. This Aß efflux causes a corresponding transient elevation of blood levels of Aß, the magnitude of which the applicants believe is proportional to the brain amyloid load as determined by AV-45 PET. The measured difference in the level of plasma Aß taken just before and a short time after injection should reveal the magnitude of the transient increase in blood Aß levels.

Supportive preliminary data comes from later stage (full-blown) AD patients with more in-depth background studies in Tg2576 and 5X Familial Alzheimer's Disease (FAD) mouse models. If successful for use as an early AD biomarker (i.e., at the Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) stage), this could be a game-changer for both early AD diagnostics and clinical trials aimed at identifying and testing the efficacy of drugs useful for treatment of AD at early stages. If Pramlintide is effective in releasing mobile pools of Aß from the brain into the blood, this could also have some therapeutic potential, with the goal of reducing brain amyloid load.

Three groups of participants will be studied: 1) amnestic MCI with or without positive AD imaging pathology, 2) probable AD with positive imaging AD pathology, and 3) controls who have normal cognition and do not have memory complaints.

Conditions

Interventions

DRUG

Pramlintide challenge test

Enrolled subjects will have a pre-trial blood draw (3 ml) and will be placed with an IV needle for future blood draws. Pramlintide will be subcutaneously injected in the abdominal area. For each arm the participants will be randomized so that half will be given a dose of 0.8 mcg/kg and the other half of the arm a dose of 1.6 mcg/kg. Blood will be drawn before and at 5, 30, 60, and 180 min after injection. Vital signs and blood glucose will also be checked at these time points. Thirty minutes after the injection, subjects will be offered a standard meal. Subjects will have a final check of vital signs and blood glucose approximately 15 min before discharge.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • National Institute on Aging (NIA)

    collaborator NIH

  • Boston University

    lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

  • Wendy Qiu, MD PhD · Boston Medical Center and BUSM

Study Design

Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Purpose
DIAGNOSTIC
Masking
NONE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age
60 Years
Max Age
90 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2020-02-04
Primary Completion
2026-11-30
Completion
2026-11-30
FDA Drug
Yes

Countries

  • United States

Study Locations

More Related Trials

Entities

Diseases

Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT03560960 on ClinicalTrials.gov