Expression of IFN-epsilon in the Female Reproductive Tract (Epsilon)

December 22, 2021 updated by: Sharon Achilles, University of Pittsburgh

IFN-epsilon and Hormonal Contraceptive Modulation of the Risk of HIV Acquisition, Part 1: Expression in the Female Reproductive Tract

The proposed study aims to determine the expression of Interferon-ε (IFNε) in the female genital tract, which has never been mapped before in humans. High expression in other mammalian female reproductive tract (FRT) has been suggested to be important in anti-sexually transmitted infection (STI)/HIV immunity and its expression decreases with progestogen treatment. Future studies are planned to understand if hormonal contraceptives affect the presence of interferon in the healthy female genital tract, potentially changing the risk of for STI and HIV.

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.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Objectives:

  1. To optimize measurement protocols for IFNε and related biomarkers in samples from the female reproductive tract.
  2. To quantify and characterize IFNε expression in the upper and lower genital tract and blood in normally cycling women during the follicular and luteal phases of the menstrual cycle.

Study design: This is a single site, parallel cross-sectional study

Specific Aims:

The aim of this study is to determine which "IFNε -related assays" can be performed on different types of FRT samples. The possible "IFNε-related assays" are:

  • IFNε messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) levels by quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (qRT PCR) (requiring frozen tissue processed for RNA)
  • IFN Regulated Gene expression by qRT PCR, microarray or targeted gene set using Fluidigm platform (frozen tissue)
  • PR and ER gene expression (as above)
  • IFNε tissue protein levels* (by immunoassay) and progesterone and estrogen receptors (PR/ER) by Western blotting (frozen tissue)
  • IFNε and Neopterin (a well characterized compound whose production can be stimulated by IFNs and whose specificity in this setting needs validation) or other IFNε-biomarkers** by immunoassay in cervicovaginal lavage (CVL) fluids

  • Immunohistochemistry of IFNε, PR/ER, + other (e.g. cells, cytokines) (fixed tissue)

    • Studies of FRT samples from wild type and IFNε-/- mice would be used to first validate Neopterin as a "biomarker" of IFNε activity in the FRT; and microarray analyses may reveal other secreted proteins that may be used as "biomarkers" of IFNε activity.

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.
32

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

  • United States
    • Pennsylvania
      • Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, 15213
        • University of Pittsburgh
      • Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, 15213
        • Center for Family Planning Research

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

18 years to 35 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

Female

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Healthy females aged18 through 35 years (inclusive) at screening

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. Age 18 through 35 years (inclusive) at screening
  2. Non-pregnant women in general good health as determined by the site clinician
  3. Premenopausal with history of regular menstrual cycles (regular cycles defined as occurring every 21-35 days when not using hormones and with a variation of typical cycle length of no more than 5 days)
  4. Regular and consistent condom use, prior surgical sterilization by participant or sexual partner, or heterosexually abstinent since last menses prior to enrollment
  5. Able and willing to provide written informed consent to be screened for and to take part in the study, including willingness to undergo all study-related assessments and follow all study-related procedures
  6. Able and willing to provide adequate locator information
  7. HIV-uninfected based on testing performed by study staff at enrollment

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Use of any hormonal or intrauterine contraceptive method within 30 days of enrollment
  2. Use of depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) within 10 months of enrollment
  3. Pregnancy or breastfeeding within 60 days of enrollment
  4. Surgical procedure involving the pelvis in the 30 days prior to enrollment (includes dilation and curettage, cryosurgery and biopsy of the vagina, vulva, cervix, and endometrium)
  5. Internal vaginal use of any device (includes sex toys, cervical caps, diaphragms, menstrual collection devices, and pessaries; excludes tampons and condoms) or product (includes spermicide, microbicide, douche, antifungal, steroid, or hormone) in the 30 days prior to enrolment (includes investigational products and devices)
  6. New sexual partner within 90 days of enrollment
  7. Urogenital infection or suspected infection within 30 days of enrollment including: symptomatic candidiasis, trichomonas vaginalis, and symptomatic bacterial vaginosis; or cervical infection, including N. gonorrhoea (GC), C. trachomatis (CT), or mucopurulent cervicitis; syphilis; herpes simplex virus (HSV) lesions, or other sores (Note: seropositive HSV without active lesions will not be excluded); acute pelvic inflammatory disease; urinary tract infection; recent exposure to a partner with GC, CT, Trichomonas, syphilis, or non-gonococcal urethritis (NGU)
  8. Any history of immunosuppression (includes diabetes, HIV infection, and chronic steroid use or other immunosuppressive medications)
  9. Antibiotic or antifungal therapy (vaginal or systemic) within 30 days of enrollment
  10. Menses or other vaginal bleeding at the time of enrollment* (*Women who have vaginal bleeding at the scheduled enrollment visit may return at a different date to be re-examined and possibly enrolled provided they are still within the 90-day screening window and meet all criteria).
  11. Vaginal or anal intercourse within 36 hours prior to enrollment
  12. Heterosexual intercourse since last menses that places the participant at risk of pregnancy (without condom use or sterilization of at least one partner)
  13. History of hysterectomy
  14. History of malignancy within the pelvis (includes uterus, cervix, vagina, and vulva)
  15. Any condition that, in the opinion of the Investigator, would preclude provision of consent, make participation in the study unsafe, complicate interpretation of study outcome data, or otherwise interfere with achieving the study objectives

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 / Cohort

A group or subgroup of participants in an observational study that is assessed for biomedical or health outcomes.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Follicular phase
Normally cycling women in the follicular phase of menses
Procedure: Reproductive tract and blood sampling
Reproductive tract and blood sampling will be performed at enrollment only in this cross-sectional parallel cohort study.
Luteal phase
Normally cycling women in the luteal phase of menses
Procedure: Reproductive tract and blood sampling
Reproductive tract and blood sampling will be performed at enrollment only in this cross-sectional parallel cohort study.

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
Interferon epsilon expression
Time Frame: baseline
Interferon epsilon expression will be assessed in the female reproductive tract and blood in women in the follicular phase of menses vs the luteal phase of menses in this cross-sectional study.
baseline

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.
University of Pittsburgh

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.
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
MIMR-PHI Institute, Australia

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: Paul Hertzog, PhD, Hudson Institute of Medical Research

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.
July 1, 2015

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
July 1, 2016

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
May 1, 2020

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).
April 9, 2015

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.
April 9, 2015

First Posted (Estimate)

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.
April 14, 2015

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.
December 27, 2021

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.
December 22, 2021

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.
December 1, 2021

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

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.
  • OPP1108501

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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