A Natural History Study of Patients With GNE Myopathy and GNE-Related Diseases

June 2, 2026 updated by: National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI)

Background:

- GNE Myopathy is a disease that causes walking difficulties and increasing muscle weakness. It usually develops in young adults (between 20 and 30 years of age), and affects arm and leg muscles. HIBM is caused by mutations in a gene that may affect how the muscles function. Researchers want to learn more about the causes, symptoms, and effects of HIBM.

Objectives:

- To collect genetic and medical information from people with GNE Myopathy .

Eligibility:

- Individuals between 18 and 80 years of age who have GNE Myopathy and do not use a wheelchair. - Participants must be willing to stop any current treatment of HIBM while enrolled in the study.

Design:

  • Participants will be screened with a medical history, physical exam, and neurological exam.
  • At the first visit, participants will have the following tests:
  • Questionnaires about the impact of HIBM on daily activities, mood, and quality of life
  • 24-hour urine collection
  • Blood samples
  • Heart function tests
  • Muscle strength and endurance tests, including walking
  • Imaging study of the muscles
  • Participants will return for followup visits at 6, 12, and 18 months. They may be asked to return for a final visit at 24 months. Not all tests will be performed at each visit.
  • Treatment will not be provided as part of this protocol.

For more information, visit our website: http://hibmstudy.nhgri.nih.gov/

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Detailed Description

This is a prospective observational study to evaluate patients with GNE myopathy and other GNE-related diseases. The GNE gene encodes for UDP-GlcNAc 2-epimerase/ManNAc kinase, the bifunctional enzyme that initiates and regulates intracellular sialic acid (Neu5Ac) biosynthesis and glycan sialylation. GNE myopathy is a rare, autosomal recessive myopathy with onset in early adulthood characterized by progressive skeletal muscle atrophy and weakness. The impairment of Neu5Ac production is presumed to cause decreased sialylation of muscle glycoproteins, resulting in muscle deterioration. Other GNE-related diseases such as congenital thrombocytopenia have been recently identified, but the pathophysiology is not well understood. In this protocol, we plan to evaluate patients with GNE myopathy and other GNE-related diseases clinically, biochemically, and molecularly to characterize the mechanisms of disease, to delineate the natural history, phenotypes, progression and complications of GNE-related diseases, and to identify endpoints and biomarkers to support clinical trials testing potential therapies.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
78

Contacts and Locations

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

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Maryland
      • Bethesda, Maryland, United States, 20892
        • National Institutes of Health Clinical Center

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

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

4 years to 80 years (Child, Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Patients with a diagnosis of GNE myopathy or GNE-related disease. Subjects that are a carrier family member or a caregiver of a patient on the study are eligible to participate.

Description

  • INCLUSION CRITERIA:

    1. Age 4-80 years, either gender, inclusive.
    2. Diagnosis of GNE myopathy or GNE-related diseases based upon the identification of GNE gene mutations. Molecular confirmation of the diagnosis will be obtained for all subjects in the study.
    3. Subjects that are a carrier family member of a patient on the study are eligible to participate.
    4. Must be able to provide informed consent.

EXCLUSION CRITERIA:

  1. Psychiatric illness or other diseases that would interfere with the subject s ability to comply with the requirements of this protocol.
  2. Hepatic laboratory parameters (aspartate aminotransferase [AST], alanine aminotransferase [ALT]) or renal laboratory parameters (creatinine, blood urea nitrogen [BUN]) greater than 3 times the upper limit of normal.
  3. Presence of clinically significant cardiovascular, pulmonary, hepatic, renal, hematological, metabolic, or gastrointestinal disease not related to the primary disease process.

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

  • Observational Models: Cohort
  • Time Perspectives: Prospective

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort

Group / Cohort

A group or subgroup of participants in an observational study that is assessed for biomedical or health outcomes.
GNE
Patients with a diagnosis of GNE myopathy
GNE-Related Diseases
Patient with a GNE related disease
non-GNE
Subjects that are a carrier family member or a caregiver of a patient on the study are eligibleto participate.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Natural History
Time Frame: Ongiong
To delineate the natural history of GNE myopathy, and to further characterize the phenotype, progression and complications of the disease.
Ongiong

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Endpoints
Time Frame: Ongoing
To identify endpoints and biomarkers of the disease. To study factors that contribute to disease heterogeneity.
Ongoing

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI)

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
Therapeutics for Rare and Neglected Diseases (TRND)

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: William A Gahl, M.D., National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI)

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Helpful Links

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 (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
September 14, 2011

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
August 13, 2011

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
August 13, 2011

First Posted (Estimated)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
August 16, 2011

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
June 3, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
June 2, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
March 26, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 110218
  • 11-HG-0218

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

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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