Duke Medicine / Neurology
Durham, North Carolina, 27705, United States
NCT Number: NCT02709330
This is a 12-month, widely inclusive, largely virtual, single-center, open-label pilot trial utilizing a historical control group. Participants will receive a Lunasin regimen and will be asked to register for an account of PatientsLikeMe website, where after the initial in-clinic visit, they will be asked to enter specific data.
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Notify Me18 year and older
All sexes
Interventional
Phase 2
Durham, North Carolina, 27705, United States
The primary hypothesis is that a supplement regimen containing Lunasin (referred to as the Lunasin regimen) can decrease the rate of ALSFRS-S progression by 50% relative to matched historic controls.
ALS is a devastating motor neuron disease that causes rapidly progressive muscle weakness, disability and premature death. In spite of a large number of attempted ALS trials, there are no significant disease-modifying therapies for this condition.
It was recently reported that a patient with a validated diagnosis of ALS, had experienced dramatic objective improvement in speech, swallowing and limb strength while taking a supplement regimen containing Lunasin. Several other patients with ALS have also reported improvement on this Lunasin regiment, though records were not obtainable to validate these.
The Lunasin regimen will consist of:
Dosages will be titrated up to target over the first 6 days. The subject will take the highest tolerated dosing for the remainder of the 12-month study.
There are 3 in-clinic visits which occur at screening/baseline, Month 1 and Month 12. For Months 2-11, participants will make "virtual visits" by measuring their own ALSFRS-R score and weight and will record it in the PatientsLikeMe website. They will also self-report any perceived efficacy, compliance, adverse events and changes in concomitant medications.
Healthy volunteers accepted: No
Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.
Inclusion criteria
Exclusion criteria
LunaRich X Capsules, Reliv Now, ProVantage
Matched historical controls will be identified from the PatientsLikeMe database.
Time frame: Screening/baseline - 12 months
ALSFRS-R is a quickly administered (five minute) ordinal rating scale used to determine patient's assessment of their capability and independence in 13 functional activities. All 13 activities are relevant in ALS. Each task is rated on a five-point scale from 0 = can't do, to 4 = normal ability, with a total score of 52 points. Reported is the rate of change in total points per month.
Time frame: Screening/baseline, Month 1
Participants, ALS controls (not on Lunasin) and healthy controls (not on Lunasin) had blood drawn at baseline and 1 month time points. Histones were extracted from blood cells. Western blots were used to look at specific histone acetylation patterns that Lunasin had reportedly altered in cell cultures (H3K9K14ac2 and H4K5K8K12K16). Integrated density values for AcH3 protein bands were normalized for total H3. Percent H3 values for the 1 month time point were normalized to that of the baseline visit. Results were analyzed by one-way ANOVA.
Time frame: Month 1, Month 12
To confirm that participants can accurately measure their own weight, even as they become more disabled by ALS, the investigators will compare the participant-generated weight with the weight obtained by the study coordinator at the Month 1 and Month 12 visits. A simple description of the accuracy (percent agreement between the weights) will be used.
Time frame: Screening/baseline - Month 12
Rate of enrollment in reaching the 50 participants required to fill the trial.
Time frame: Month 12
Percentage of surviving participants who completed the month 12 visit.
Time frame: Screening/baseline - Month 12
The percentage of enrolled participants experiencing an ALSFRS-R improvement of at least 4 points lasting at least 12 months.
Time frame: Month 1
To confirm that participants can accurately measure their own ALS Functional Rating Scale (Revised, ALSFRS-R), the investigators will compare the ALSFRS-R obtained by the coordinator with that obtained by the participants themselves at the Month 1 Visit. Correlational analysis between these 2 scores will be performed with Spearman's rho.
Richard Bedlack, M.D., Ph.D.
Other
An Open-label, Single-center, 12-month Trial of a Lunasin Regimen for Patients With Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)
OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.
View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.
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