Whole Transcriptome Profiling and Metabolic Phenotyping in Children With ROHHAD Syndrome

October 20, 2025 updated by: Vidhu V. Thaker, Columbia University
Rapid onset Obesity, Hypoventilation, Hypothalamic dysfunction and Autonomic Dysregulation (ROHHAD) is a syndrome named in 2007. The hallmark of the syndrome is the rapid onset obesity and dysregulation of central ventilation. There is little information about the metabolic changes that lead to the rapid onset obesity in these children. The investigators would like to study the metabolic phenotype of these children to understand the disturbances in energy balance that lead to the rapid onset obesity.

Study Overview

Status

Status

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

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

Late-onset hypoventilation syndrome with hypothalamic dysfunction was first described in 1965 and renamed to ROHHAD syndrome in 2007 by Ize-Ludlow et al.

The hallmark of ROHHAD syndrome is rapid-onset obesity starting at approximately 1.5 years of age with weight gain of 12-20 kg/year, central hypoventilation distinct from the obstructive hypoventilation caused by obesity, hyperphagia, a spectrum of pituitary hormonal dysfunction, and autonomic disturbances including temperature, blood pressure, and nociception abnormalities. Some children have been noted with developmental and behavioral abnormalities. Tumors of neural crest origin have been identified in 25-33% of the patients. The etiology of ROHHAD syndrome and the cause of rapid onset obesity is unknown.

The aims of this study are to understand the whole transcriptome profiling of patient specific induced pluripotent cell (iPSC) derived hypothalamic neurons to understand the transcriptional level changes that give rise to the manifestations seen in ROHHAD syndrome.

Aim 1. Generate patient specific iPSC-derived hypothalamic neurons from children with ROHHAD syndrome and their unaffected first degree relatives.

Aim 2: Compare the whole transcriptome profiling of the patient derived cells compared to those of unaffected relatives and reference datasets to understand the differences in transcriptome that gives rise to ROHHAD syndrome.

Aim 3: Selected patients may be invited to participate for detailed metabolic phenotyping to understand the mechanisms of excessive weight gain.

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 (Estimated)

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.
12

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
    • New York
      • Boston, New York, United States, 02115
        • Completed
        • Boston Children's Hospital
      • New York, New York, United States, 10032
        • Recruiting
        • Columbia University Irving Medical Center
        • Contact:

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

2 years to 20 years (Child, Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Probability Sample

Study Population

Children diagnosed with ROHHAD (Rapid onset Obesity, Hypoventilation, Hypothalamic dysfunction, Autonomic Disturbances), and their first degree relatives.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Children with ROHHAD syndrome

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Children with known genetic causes of obesity

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: Case-Control
  • 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.
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.
Cases of ROHHAD syndrome

Children diagnosed with ROHHAD syndrome during the course of their clinical care by their physicians.

The investigators will perform transcriptome profiling in this group.
Diagnostic test: Transcriptome profiling
The investigators will obtain blood to extract peripheral mononuclear cells. These cells will be used to generate patient specific hypothalamic cells that will be used for transcriptome profiling.
Control cohort
Unaffected first degree family members. The investigators will perform transcriptome profiling in this group.
Diagnostic test: Transcriptome profiling
The investigators will obtain blood to extract peripheral mononuclear cells. These cells will be used to generate patient specific hypothalamic cells that will be used for transcriptome profiling.

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
Changes in the transcriptome profile of hypothalamic cells of children with ROHHAD syndrome compared to their unaffected first degree relatives.
Time Frame: 2 year
The investigators will perform whole transcriptome profiling of iPSC-derived hypothalamic neurons and compare the whole genome sequencing to identify the changes that may give rise to the disease.
2 year

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.
Columbia University

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.
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
ROHHAD Association

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: Vidhu Thaker, MD, Columbia University

Publications and helpful links

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General Publications

Study record dates

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Study Major Dates

Study Start

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.
November 1, 2015

Primary Completion (Estimated)

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.
December 1, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

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.
December 1, 2026

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).
November 7, 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.
November 9, 2015

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.
November 11, 2015

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimated)

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.
October 21, 2025

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.
October 20, 2025

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.
October 1, 2025

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.
  • AAAS4650
  • P00018387 (Other Identifier: Boston Children's Hospital)
  • R21DK129893 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

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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