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NCT Number: NCT07390422

Duodenal pulsENDO for Suboptimally Controlled Type II Diabetes Mellitus and Steatotic Liver Disease

This study is designed to evaluate the efficacy, safety, and mechanisms of pulsENDO procedure in patients with T2DM and its effect on MASLD.

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Key information

Age range

18 year–70 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Chinese University of Hong Kong

Shatin, Hong Kong

Location contact

Alice Kong, MD

SUB_INVESTIGATOR

Derek Xia, PhD(CUHK)

SUB_INVESTIGATOR

Jenny Ho

CONTACT

[email protected]

+85235052956

Jimmy Lai, FRCP(Edin)

SUB_INVESTIGATOR

Philip Chiu, FRCSEd(Gen), MD

SUB_INVESTIGATOR

Raymond Tang, MD

SUB_INVESTIGATOR

Stephen Ng, FRCSEd(Gen)

CONTACT

[email protected]

+85235052956

Stephen Ng, FRCSEd(Gen)

PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

About this study

This is a prospective, single-arm feasibility study enrolling individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) who have failed to achieve adequate glycemic control with oral glucose-lowering medications. Participants will undergo the pulsENDO procedure and liver biopsies both prior to and after the procedure to evaluate its effects on metabolically associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD). They will be followed for 12 months to assess the primary endpoint and for a total of 2 years. Participants are permitted to undergo a repeat ReCET procedure once if they initially respond but experience a recurrence of suboptimal diabetes management between 1 and 2 years after the procedure. They will be followed up for an additional year after the repeated procedure.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Duration of T2DM < 10 years
  • BMI 18.5-40kg/m2
  • Failure to achieve adequate HbA1c reduction (7.5 - 11%) after at least 3 months stable dosage of oral glucose lowering drugs

Exclusion criteria

  • Previous treatment with pulsENDO or similar procedure
  • Previous GI surgery that could preclude the ability to perform pulsENDO, or acute gastric and duodenal pathology that increased the risk of pulsENDO
  • Type 1 DM, DM secondary to specific disease or having any history of ketoacidosis
  • Patients on insulin
  • Fasting C-peptide level <0.5ug/L
  • Any inflammatory disease of the gastrointestinal tract such as Crohn's disease
  • Abnormal pathologies or conditions of the gastrointestinal tract, including duodenal polyps, ulcers or upper gastrointestinal bleeding conditions within 3 months of study
  • Uncorrectable bleeding diathesis, platelet dysfunction, thrombocytopenia with platelet count less than 100,000/microliter or known coagulopathy
  • Currently taking prescription antithrombotic therapy (e.g., anticoagulant or antiplatelet agent) within 10 days prior to study and/or there is a need or expected need to use during the study period
  • Currently taking medications known to cause significant weight gain or weight loss (e.g. chemotherapeutics)
  • Patients who have used non-steroidal analgesics and anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) and corticosteroids in the past 1 month
  • Underlying uncontrolled endocrine problem that leads to obesity, including and not limited to hypothyroidism, Cushing syndrome and eating disorder.
  • Patients with contra-indications to endoscopy
  • Patients with cirrhosis due to causes other than MASLD
  • Malignancy
  • Diagnosis of autoimmune connective tissue disorder (e.g. lupus erythematosus, scleroderma)
  • Pregnant or breast feeding
  • ASA grade IV & V
  • Mental or psychiatric disorder; Drug or alcohol addiction
  • Other cases deemed by the examining physician as unsuitable for safe treatment
  • Refusal to participate

Treatment and study plan

pulsENDO treatment

Procedure

The pulsENDO procedure utilizes the pulsENDO catheter to deliver non-thermal pulsed electric field to the duodenum to induce cell regeneration. The catheter is introduced to the duodenum through the mouth using a guide wire and the therapy is applied to treat the duodenum under endoscopic visualisation, starting from D4 and repeated proximally. Approximately 10-18 cm of axial length of the duodenum is treated.

Primary outcomes

  1. HbA1c

    Time frame: 24 months post-procedure

    Change in HbA1c (%) from baseline to Month 24

  2. Improvement of MAFLD

    Time frame: 12 months post-procedure

    Proportion of subjects with improvement of liver steatosis and without worsening of fibrosis on liver histology

Secondary outcomes

  1. Total body weight loss (%TBWL)

    Time frame: 24 months post-procedure

    Percent total body weight loss (%TBWL) from baseline to Month 24

  2. Incidence of adverse events

    Time frame: within 30 days post-procedure

    Adverse events relating to endoscopic intervention, graded according to the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE)

  3. Body fat percentage

    Time frame: 24 months post-procedure

    Changes in body fat percentage - measured by bioelectrical impedance analysis from baseline to Month 24

  4. Change in Quality of Life

    Time frame: 24 months post-procedure

    measured by 36-Item Short Form Survey (SF-36) questionnaire - (score 0:worst - 100:best) from baseline to Month 24

  5. Faecal microbiome

    Time frame: 24 months post-procedure

    changes in faecal microbiome from baseline to Month 24

  6. Changes in background glucose lowering medications

    Time frame: 24 months post-procedure

    Changes in glucose lowering medications from baseline to Month 24

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Jenny Study coordinator

CONTACT

[email protected]

+85235052956

Stephen Ng, FRCSEd(Gen)

CONTACT

[email protected]

+85235052956

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Chinese University of Hong Kong

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Duodenal Recellularization Via Electroporation Therapy for Suboptimally Controlled Type II Diabetes Mellitus and Steatotic Liver Disease (DRESS-1 Study)

Acronym: DRESS-1

Important dates

Study start
2026
Primary completion
2031
Study completion
2033
First posted
Feb 5, 2026
Registry last updated
Jun 24, 2026

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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