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Olfactory Biopsies

NCT07021040 · Status: RECRUITING · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 125

Last updated 2025-06-24

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

This research study aims to investigate the function of the olfactory lining in the nasal cavity and its potential alterations in both healthy and diseased conditions. The olfactory lining is involved in the sense of smell.

The purpose of this study is to collect tissue from the nasal cavity.

Conditions

  • Alzheimer Disease
  • Smell Loss
  • Smell Dysfunction

Interventions

DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

olfactory testing

Patients will undergo smell testing, using the Smell Identification Test (Sensonics), a validated widely-used 40-item "scratch-and-sniff" style psychophysical test to determine olfactory function.

OTHER

Odor stimulation

subset of patients will be asked to sniff a specific odor for about an hour, using commercially available "odor pens" (Sniffin' Sticks or Sensonics). These odor pens are widely used for olfactory training therapy, a treatment designed to help people with some forms of smell loss; they are also used in psychophysical olfactory testing.

PROCEDURE

Olfactory biopsy

Biopsy involves a simple cytology brush technique of the lining of the nose in a region called the olfactory cleft, using a nasal endoscope, and can be done in clinic or in the operating room at the time of a nasal surgery. Topical oxymetazoline and tetracaine spray is applied to the nasal cavity, a rigid nasal endoscopy (0-degree 4 mm endoscope, Karl Storz) is performed to visualize the olfactory cleft, and a small nasal cytology brush biopsy (Hobbs Medical)is performed by swabbing and rotating brush gently in the olfactory cleft. Cytology sample is placed into a buffer (Hibernate-E, Thermo Fisher)on ice for transport to the research lab.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)

    collaborator NIH

  • Duke University

    lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

  • Bradley Goldstein, MD, PhD · Duke University

Study Design

Allocation
NA
Purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
NONE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age
18 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2025-01-06
Primary Completion
2027-12-31
Completion
2028-12-31

Countries

  • United States

Study Locations

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Entities

Companies

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 NCT07021040 on ClinicalTrials.gov