Molecular and Morphologic Characterization of Circulating Endothelial Cells (CEC)

January 15, 2025 updated by: Eric Topol, MD, Scripps Translational Science Institute

Comprehensive Molecular and Morphologic Characterization of Circulating Endothelial Cells

The primary hypothesis of this study is that circulating endothelial cells (CECs) harbor key genetic and structural characteristics predisposing individuals to acute atherosclerotic plaque rupture and heart attack.

Study Overview

Status

Active, not recruiting

Conditions

Detailed Description

Endothelial injury and inflammation are pivotal underlying processes that put patients at risk for catastrophic vascular events including acute myocardial infarction (heart attack) and stroke. We seek to accelerate scientific discovery through clinically meaningful, innovative translational research, and are collaborating in a trans-disciplinary effort to define the DNA sequence of CECs and that of germ line DNA, along with RNA sequencing, mRNA expression profiling, and ultrastructural characterization of CECs in order to better understand the mechanisms leading to acute arterial plaque rupture and embolization of arterial endothelial cells in patients with acute myocardial infarction. This will enable us to create a molecular fingerprint that could identify and preempt individuals from suffering from such debilitating vascular conditions.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

664

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

    • California
      • La Jolla, California, United States, 92037
        • Scrippshealth

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 80 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Subjects will be recruited from the general in-patient and out-patient populations for myocardial infarction and/or vascular surgery. Healthy controls will be recruited from the general medical population and community.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. Age 18 - 80 years old.
  2. Must be reliable, cooperative and willing to comply with all protocol-specified procedures if consented.
  3. Able to understand and grant informed consent
  4. Subjects must meet one of the following (a-c):

    1. Healthy control subjects not meeting any exclusion criteria for controls below
    2. Patients scheduled for an open vascular procedure of an arterial structure
    3. Patients with acute MI defined as:

    i. Clinical history and symptoms consistent with acute MI AND ii Elevated cardiac markers (CKMB, Troponin I or T) consistent with MI (abnormals are according to enrolling institution's lab standards) AND iii. Able to complete study enrollment (consent & blood draw) within 48 hours of presentation to the study site.

Exclusion Criteria:

General Exclusion Criteria:

1. Has a significant medical condition that in the investigator's opinion may interfere with the patient's optimal participation in the study.

Exclusion for Healthy Controls:

  1. Age greater than 35
  2. Previous history of coronary artery disease or MI
  3. Diabetes
  4. Peripheral arterial disease
  5. Hypertension (>140/90 or on blood pressure medication)
  6. Sickle cell disease
  7. Acute or Chronic kidney disease
  8. Acute or Chronic vascular conditions, not otherwise specified
  9. Active or history of inflammation of connective tissue and vascular structures (i.e. vasculitis, rheumatoid arthritis)

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Group A
Patients undergoing open vascular surgery on arterial structures to better define optimal laboratory and collection techniques for isolation of CECs.
Group B
Healthy controls will be recruited from the general medical population, community.
Acute Myocardial Infarction
Patients with acute myocardial infarction with or without ST segment deviation.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
The primary endpoint is complete molecular profiling of CEC's in up to 250 patients with a diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction (MI) and up to 25 healthy controls.
Time Frame: 2 years
2 years

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Eric Topol, M.D., Scripps Translational Science Institute

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

January 1, 2010

Primary Completion (Actual)

April 1, 2017

Study Completion (Estimated)

December 1, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

October 29, 2009

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

October 30, 2009

First Posted (Estimated)

November 1, 2009

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

March 25, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 15, 2025

Last Verified

January 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Other Study ID Numbers

  • IRB#09-5287

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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