Efficacy of a Gluten-free Diet in Difficult to Manage Nephrotic Syndrome: Utility of Plasma Zonulin Levels as a Predictive Biomarker

Study Purpose

Elevated plasma zonulin levels, which are supportive of a diagnosis of CD (celiac disease) in children with gastrointestinal symptoms, may indicate patients with difficult-to-manage NS who will benefit from initiation of a GFD (gluten free diet). This pilot study will determine whether high plasma zonulin levels can be used as a screening tool to identify patients with NS (nephrotic syndrome) who are likely to demonstrate a beneficial response to a GFD. It will provide important information about the feasibility of testing the efficacy of a GFD for this condition and assist in the design and sample size calculation for a definitive trial to test the beneficial effect of this dietary intervention. Although NS is a rare condition in childhood, it is a chronic disease that can lead to short- and long-term disability especially in those with difficult-to-manage disease. There is an urgent need to develop safe and effective new therapies in this subgroup. This project may indicate the utility of a common dietary modification, a GFD, to treat these patients. The growing medical use of and greater access to gluten-free food items underscore the feasibility and timeliness of this approach.

Recruitment Criteria

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Healthy volunteers are participants who do not have a disease or condition, or related conditions or symptoms

No
Study Type

An interventional clinical study is where participants are assigned to receive one or more interventions (or no intervention) so that researchers can evaluate the effects of the interventions on biomedical or health-related outcomes.


An observational clinical study is where participants identified as belonging to study groups are assessed for biomedical or health outcomes.


Searching Both is inclusive of interventional and observational studies.

Observational
Eligible Ages 9 Months - 18 Years
Gender All
More Inclusion & Exclusion Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

  • - Steroid sensitive NS: complete remission of proteinuria in response to administration of a standard course of corticosteroids.
  • - Difficult-to-manage NS: disease that cannot be controlled without incurring intolerable side effects from currently available immunosuppressive agents, namely corticosteroids, calcineurin inhibitors, mycophenolate mofetil, or rituximab.
Patients with biopsy-proven MCD or FSGS will be eligible as long as they have steroid sensitive disease. However, a renal biopsy will not be required for enrollment into the trial.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • - Any patient diagnosed with nephrotic syndrome that is not considered steroid sensitive or frequently relapsing.
- Pre-existing celiac disease or gastro-intestinal disorder that precludes use of a GFD

Trial Details

Trial ID:

This trial id was obtained from ClinicalTrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, providing information on publicly and privately supported clinical studies of human participants with locations in all 50 States and in 196 countries.

NCT03387176
Phase

Phase 1: Studies that emphasize safety and how the drug is metabolized and excreted in humans.

Phase 2: Studies that gather preliminary data on effectiveness (whether the drug works in people who have a certain disease or condition) and additional safety data.

Phase 3: Studies that gather more information about safety and effectiveness by studying different populations and different dosages and by using the drug in combination with other drugs.

Phase 4: Studies occurring after FDA has approved a drug for marketing, efficacy, or optimal use.

Lead Sponsor

The sponsor is the organization or person who oversees the clinical study and is responsible for analyzing the study data.

NYU Langone Health
Principal Investigator

The person who is responsible for the scientific and technical direction of the entire clinical study.

Howard Trachtman, MD
Principal Investigator Affiliation NYU Langone Health
Agency Class

Category of organization(s) involved as sponsor (and collaborator) supporting the trial.

Other
Overall Status Recruiting
Countries United States
Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied.

Nephrotic Syndrome
Arms & Interventions

Arms

: zonulin ≤17.5 ng/ml

Pediatric patients with difficult-to-manage nephrotic syndrome will be stratified based on the plasma zonulin concentration into two groups

: zonulin >17.5 ng/ml

Pediatric patients with difficult-to-manage nephrotic syndrome will be stratified based on the plasma zonulin concentration into two groups

Interventions

Other: - Implementation of a gluten-free diet

Patients will be placed on gluten free diet for 9-12 months.

Contact a Trial Team

If you are interested in learning more about this trial, find the trial site nearest to your location and contact the site coordinator via email or phone. We also strongly recommend that you consult with your healthcare provider about the trials that may interest you and refer to our terms of service below.

New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York

Status

Recruiting

Address

New York University School of Medicine

New York, New York, 10016

Site Contact

Suzanne Vento, MD

Suzanne.Vento@nyumc.org

646-501-2665

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