Interaction of Melatonin and MTNR1B Genotype on Glucose Control - Study 1

January 26, 2026 updated by: Frank AJL Scheer, PhD, Brigham and Women's Hospital
This project aims to test the impact of melatonin and MTNR1B variation on regulation glucose regulation in a highly controlled in-laboratory setting and ex vivo in pancreatic islets.

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

The investigators' recent GWAS discovery of MTNR1B as a novel type 2 diabetes gene has sparked great interest into the role of melatonin in glycemic control, for which the mechanism is largely unknown. This research will determine the effect of melatonin and MTNR1B on glycemic control under highly-controlled, in-laboratory protocols while manipulating circulating melatonin concentrations (both up and down) and assessing glycemic control by frequently-sampled intravenous glucose tolerance tests, as well as in ex vivo human pancreatic islets. This research will provide mechanistic insights into the metabolic effects of melatonin and the MTNR1B risk variant and may help in evidence-based approaches and personalized recommendations to improve glycemic control in night shift workers and late-night eaters.

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.
Interventional

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.
23

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

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
    • Massachusetts
      • Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 02115
        • Brigham and Women's Hospital

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

21 years to 55 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Body Mass Index: 20 and 35 kg/m2
  • Age: 21-55 years of age
  • Caucasian
  • Non-smoking
  • With regular sleep-wake cycle
  • Passed medical and psychological screening tests

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Acute, chronic or debilitating medical conditions
  • History of neurological or psychiatric disorder
  • History of sleep disorder or regular use of sleep-promoting medication
  • Current prescription, herbal, or over-the-counter medication use
  • Traveling across 2 or more time zones within past 3 months
  • Worked night or rotating shift work within past 1 year
  • Drug or alcohol dependency

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

  • Primary Purpose: Basic Science
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Crossover Assignment
  • Masking: Double

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
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.
Other: melatonin-placebo
subjects will receive melatonin first and placebo second
Drug: placebo
Dietary supplement: melatonin
5 mg of melatonin per os.
Other: placebo-melatonin
subjects will receive placebo first and melatonin second
Drug: placebo
Dietary supplement: melatonin
5 mg of melatonin per os.

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
Disposition Index
Time Frame: During frequently sampled intravenous glucose tolerance test after melatonin/placebo administration on Day 2/4 (melatonin/placebo order randomized) in the laboratory visit
Disposition index is determined by frequently sampled intravenous glucose tolerance test. It is a composite measure of β-cell function adjusted for insulin sensitivity-was calculated as the product of insulin sensitivity and insulin secretion indices. High value means stronger β-cell function. Theoretical minimum is 0, no theoretical maximum.
During frequently sampled intravenous glucose tolerance test after melatonin/placebo administration on Day 2/4 (melatonin/placebo order randomized) in the laboratory visit

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
First-phase Beta-cell Responsivity
Time Frame: During frequently sampled intravenous glucose tolerance test after melatonin/placebo administration on Day 2/4 (melatonin/placebo order randomized) in the laboratory visit
First-phase beta-cell responsivity to glucose is determined by frequently sampled intravenous glucose tolerance test. It likely represents exocytosis of previously primed and docked insulin secretory granules (commonly called the readily releasable pool). It is given by the ratio between the incremental amount of C-peptide secreted during the first phase and the maximum increment of the plasma glucose concentration.High value means stronger β-cell responsivity. Theoretical minimum is 0, no theoretical maximum.
During frequently sampled intravenous glucose tolerance test after melatonin/placebo administration on Day 2/4 (melatonin/placebo order randomized) in the laboratory visit
Insulin Sensitivity
Time Frame: During frequently sampled intravenous glucose tolerance test after melatonin/placebo administration on Day 2/4 (melatonin/placebo order randomized) in the laboratory visit
Insulin sensitivity is determined by frequently sampled intravenous glucose tolerance test. It is defined in quantitative terms as the effect of insulin to catalyse the disappearance of glucose from plasma.High value indicates better insulin sensitivity. Theoretical minimum is 0, no theoretical maximum.
During frequently sampled intravenous glucose tolerance test after melatonin/placebo administration on Day 2/4 (melatonin/placebo order randomized) in the laboratory visit
Glucose Tolerance
Time Frame: During frequently sampled intravenous glucose tolerance test after melatonin/placebo administration on Day 2/4 (melatonin/placebo order randomized) in the laboratory visit
glucose 3-hour incremental AUC during frequently sampled intravenous glucose tolerance test. High value indicates higher glucose level during the test, which is bad. Theoretical minimum is 0, no theoretical maximum.
During frequently sampled intravenous glucose tolerance test after melatonin/placebo administration on Day 2/4 (melatonin/placebo order randomized) in the laboratory visit

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.
Brigham and Women's Hospital

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)

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: Frank AJL Scheer, PhD, Brigham and Women's Hospital

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

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, 2016

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.
March 24, 2022

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.
March 24, 2022

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).
December 21, 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.
December 28, 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.
December 30, 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.
February 12, 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.
January 26, 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.
January 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

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.
  • 2015P000857A
  • R01DK102696 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

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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