Diabetic Foot Ulcers Microbiome and Pathogen Identification

August 13, 2025 updated by: Brian Schmidt, University of Michigan

The Role of The Microbiome in Diabetic Foot Ulcers (DFU)

This research is being done because people with diabetes have reduced healing capacity and prone to develop infections of foot wounds. This can be problematic because wounds that become infected may result in amputation and more severe complications. New evidence suggests that a better understanding of the microbiome of wounds (e.g., bacterial presence) may provide information about wound healing and provide an earlier opportunity to identify an individual who may be prone to develop diabetic foot infection in their wound.

Therefore, the purpose of this study is to evaluate the role of the microbiome of the diabetic foot ulcer in development of infection and wound healing. Once the role of the microbiome is confirmed, progress towards the prevention and treatment of diabetic foot ulcers and complications may be possible.

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.

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.
103

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
    • Michigan
      • Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States, 48109
        • University of Michigan

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 75 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Subjects that are seen during usual care visits for management of diabetic foot ulcers in the University of Michigan (UM) Podiatry clinics within Metabolism, Endocrinology and Diabetes (MEND), the UM Comprehensive Wound Care Center, and from those consented participants in the Diabetic Foot Consortium (DFC) Biomarkers for Active Diabetic Foot Ulcers study,

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • DFU patients with diabetes mellitus
  • Have a hemoglobin A1c[HbA1c] of 12% or less as measured within the last 6 months
  • Stated willingness to comply with all study procedures and availability for the duration of the study

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Pregnant or lactating
  • Uncontrolled blood glucose as demonstrated by by a HbA1c of greater than 12%
  • Bilateral wound or ulcer
  • Current infection of Coronavirus (COVID-19)
  • Unable to provide informed consent or are unwilling to participate.

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.
Infected DFU cohort
25 participants that have an infected DFU will be enrolled.
Procedure: Wound debridement

Participant that are having usual care visits for management of diabetic foot ulcers will be enrolled into this study. The procedure is done as part of standard of care. Tissue from the samples will be analyzed for this study.

Aliquoting and Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) extraction will be done on the specimens. Bacterial DNA from biospecimens will be isolated, quantified, amplified, and sequenced.
Non-infected DFU cohort
75 non-infected participants with DFU will be enrolled.
Procedure: Wound debridement

Participant that are having usual care visits for management of diabetic foot ulcers will be enrolled into this study. The procedure is done as part of standard of care. Tissue from the samples will be analyzed for this study.

Aliquoting and Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) extraction will be done on the specimens. Bacterial DNA from biospecimens will be isolated, quantified, amplified, and sequenced.

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
Time Frame
The percent change in foot ulcer surface area (cm2) after 12 weeks of observation for either infected or non-infected diabetic foot ulcers
Time Frame: Baseline to 12 weeks
Baseline to 12 weeks

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
The percent of clinically resolved infected DFU for infected diabetic foot ulcer participants
Time Frame: Baseline to 12 weeks
Defined as improvement of greater or equal to 2 clinical signs (Local swelling or induration, erythema, local tenderness or pain, local warmth, purulent discharge) with no requirement for additional antibiotic(s).
Baseline to 12 weeks
Total days of antibiotic therapy for the DFU infected diabetic foot ulcer participants
Time Frame: Baseline to 12 weeks
Baseline to 12 weeks
Number of days to infection resolution for the DFU infected diabetic foot ulcer participants
Time Frame: Baseline to 12 weeks
Baseline to 12 weeks
The percentage of participants with an infected DFU at baseline that resolve clinical infection by study week 4
Time Frame: Baseline to 4 weeks
Baseline to 4 weeks
Post-study percentage change of wound surface area (cm2) for both cohorts
Time Frame: Baseline to 12 weeks
Baseline to 12 weeks
Proportion of participants that reach a 50% reduction in surface area of the DFU for both cohorts
Time Frame: Baseline to 4 weeks
Baseline to 4 weeks

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 Michigan

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: Brian Schmidt, DPM, University of Michigan

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.
October 13, 2022

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.
June 4, 2025

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.
June 4, 2025

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).
September 22, 2022

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.
September 22, 2022

First Posted (Actual)

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.
September 27, 2022

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.
August 19, 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.
August 13, 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.
August 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.
  • HUM00214995
  • K23DK131261 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

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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