Gas Exchange MRI to Visualize Regional Therapy Response in Interstitial Lung Disease (Xe MRI in ILD)

February 11, 2026 updated by: Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati

Optimizing and Standardizing 129Xe Gas Exchange MRI to Visualize Regional Therapy Response in Interstitial Lung Disease

The purpose of this multi-centered, NIH-sponsored study is to to develop an optimal protocol for using non-invasive 129Xe gas exchange MRI to detect changing disease activity in interstitial lung diseases (ILDs). We base this study on the demonstrated promise of 129Xe as a biomarker for both prognosis and therapy response, overwhelming interest from both industry and academic partners, and impending FDA approval for 129Xe ventilation MRI. This requires disseminating standardized and repeatable methods for 3D 129Xe functional MRI in order to facilitate innovative multi-center observational and interventional trials that can advance our understanding of fibrotic lung disease, while accelerating the development of novel therapies.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Active, not 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

There remains an urgent need to better phenotype interstitial lung diseases, predict trajectories, monitor progression, and measure treatment response. Because ILD pathology is spatially and temporarly heterogeneous, the problem demands a 3-dimensional (3D) lung assessment. To this end, CT imaging patterns are critical in IPF diagnosis, but such structural imaging is insensitive to changing functional status. Thus, we have developed hyperpolarized (HP) 129Xe MRI, whose unique properties enable rapid, non-invasive, 3D functional assessment of inhaled gas distribu-tion in the airspaces, as well as its uptake in the pulmonary interstitium (barrier tissues) and trans-fer to the pulmonary capillary red blood cells (RBCs). This way of probing regional gas exchange confers sensitivity to micron-scale interstitial barrier thickening and locally diminished RBC trans-fer. We have used 129Xe MRI to predict outcomes such as death or the need for transplant and have provided preliminary evidence showing that barrier uptake is a sensitive and early marker of therapy response. These advancements have led to demands for wider dissemination, which drives an urgent need to harmonize acquisition protocols and quantification methods.

This work will be conducted by 4 collaborating centers - Duke University, the University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, and the University of Iowa. Cincinnati Children's will operate under its own IRB protocol and IND, but each site will share data and imaging techniques in order to establish best practices under an approved data sharing agreement. The specific aims of the work conducted at Cincinnati Children's:

Aim 1 - Establish Harmonized Quantitative Analysis of Gas Exchange MRI/MRS. We will deploy a reconstruction and analysis package enabling users of any of three major MRI vendor platforms to obtain robust, real-time quantitative analysis of images and spectra. We will demonstrate that healthy reference cohorts are equivalent to ±10% across 4 centers and use this to build the de-finitive multi-site healthy reference distributions.

Aim 2 - Deploy a Clinical Framework to Identify Active Fibrosis and Normal Aging. To position the technology for clinical deployment and interpretation, we will develop a physiologic model incor-porating ventilation, barrier and RBC metrics to explain the underlying factors responsible for a given patient's diffusing capacity (DLCO) and transfer coefficient (KCO). This framework will be deployed to readers who will differentiate ILD from normal aging.

Aim 3 - Maximize and Measure Repeatability of 129Xe MRI/MRS Metrics across MRI Platforms. We will improve upon published repeatability of ±15-20% by harmonizing MRI/MRS protocols by improved coaching, optimized dose delivery, and tailoring the inhaled dose volume to the individ-ual patient. Using these approaches, each center will demonstrate coefficients of repeatability of ±6% or better in patients with ILD.

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.
78

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.
  • Phase 2
  • Phase 1

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 Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Ohio
      • Cincinnati, Ohio, United States, 45229
        • Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical 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

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Study Population

- Patients with ILD and healthy controls

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. Outpatients age 18 - 90 years old.
  2. Subject has no diagnosed pulmonary conditions
  3. Subject has not smoked in the previous 5 years
  4. Smoking history, if any, is less than or equal to 5 pack-years

Additional inclusion criteria for menstruation sub-study in healthy volunteers

  1. Subject has a regular 26-30-day menstrual cycle
  2. Subject is taking prescribed hormonal contraceptives that preserve a regular menstrual cycle.

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. MRI is contraindicated based on responses to MRI screening questionnaire
  2. Subject is pregnant or lactating
  3. Resting oxygen saturation on room air <90%
  4. Respiratory illness of a bacterial or viral etiology within 30 days of MRI
  5. Subject has history of any known severe ventricular cardiac arrhythmia, as determined by the study physician.
  6. Subject has history of cardiac arrest within the last year
  7. Subject cannot hold their breath for 16 seconds

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: Diagnostic
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

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.
Experimental: Hyperpolarized 129 Xenon
Hyperpolarized xenon gas will be administered in 20% of each subject's forced vital capacity (FVC) with up to 1000 milliliters of xenon being given to a participant followed by a breath hold of up to 16 seconds
Drug: Xenon-129
Inhaled contrast for MRI

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
Maximize and Measure Repeatability of 129Xe MRI/MRS Metrics across MRI Platforms
Time Frame: 1 day
Harmonize MRI/MRS protocols by improved coaching, optimized dose delivery, and tailoring the inhaled dose volume to the individual patient. Using these approaches, each center will demonstrate coefficients of repeatability of ±6% or better in patients with ILD.
1 day
Establish Harmonized Quantitative Analysis of Gas Exchange MRI/MRS
Time Frame: 1 day
Deploy a reconstruction and analysis package enabling users of any of three major MRI vendor platforms to obtain robust, real-time quantitative analysis of images and spectra.
1 day
Deploy a Clinical Framework to Identify Active Fibrosis and Normal Aging
Time Frame: 1 Day
To position the technology for clinical deployment and interpretation, we will develop a physiologic model incorporating ventilation, barrier and RBC metrics to explain the underlying factors responsible for a given patient's diffusing capacity (DLCO) and transfer coefficient (KCO)
1 Day

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.
Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati

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: Zack Cleveland, PhD, Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati

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.
April 14, 2022

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 30, 2027

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 3, 2021

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 23, 2023

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.
August 25, 2023

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 13, 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.
February 11, 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.
February 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.
  • 2021-0031 (Other Identifier: M D Anderson Cancer Center)

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

Yes

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.

Clinical Trials on ILD

Clinical Trials on Xenon-129

Search Similar Trials

Sponsors and Collaborators

Medical Conditions

Drug Interventions

Conditions

Rare Diseases

Drug Interventions

Dietary Supplements

Sponsor/Collaborators

Locations

Cookie Settings

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. For more details carefully read our Privacy and Cookies Policy. ...>>>You can change your preferences or withdraw your consent at any time by deleting the cookies from your website or computer as described in the policy. Please accept it and choose your preferences by ticking the corresponding boxes in the "Manage Settings" section below. Please carefully read our Terms of Service before you proceed with using any part of this website.
«Manage Settings