Oral Dronabinol-HIV

November 4, 2025 updated by: Yale University

Investigation of the Effects of Cannabis on the Immune-genome in People With HIV

The purpose of this study is to define the mechanisms of cannabis on the genome of people with HIV who use cannabis. The investigator aims to better understand the effect of Dronabinol on immune and inflammatory functions, and whether these changes are HIV-status dependent. This research may better inform public health policy regarding cannabis use. Depending on the results, additional studies may also build upon this research to develop more effective and specific treatments for cannabis use associated disorders.

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.

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 (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.
160

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 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.
  • Name: Brooklyn A Bradley, BS
  • Phone Number: 203-948-1435
  • Email: bb889@yale.edu

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Connecticut
      • New Haven, Connecticut, United States, 06511
        • Connecticut Mental Health 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

Description

PWH Inclusion Criteria:

  • Current or past Cannabis use.
  • HIV-positive on antiretroviral therapy.
  • Meet criteria of viral suppression (viral load less than approximately 400 copies/ml).
  • Good physical and mental health as determined by history, the SCID, collateral information, physical and laboratory examinations, ECG, and vital signs.
  • Women of Childbearing Potential: Must agree to use or have their partner use one acceptable method of birth control throughout the study, at the discretion of the principal investigator.

PWoH Inclusion Criteria:

  • Current or past Cannabis use.
  • Good physical and mental health as determined by history, the SCID, collateral information, physical and laboratory examinations, ECG, and vital signs.
  • Women of Childbearing Potential: Must agree to use or have their partner use one acceptable method of birth control throughout the study, at the discretion of the principal investigator.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Cannabis naïve individuals.
  • Under the age of 18 years.
  • Unable to provide written informed consent.
  • Unable to read or write in English.
  • Unable to tolerate the effects of smoking approximately half a joint of cannabis (or equivalent), at the discretion of the principal investigator.
  • Major or clinically unstable medical conditions (e.g., myocardial infarction, hypertension, clinically significant head injury or loss of consciousness).
  • IQ less than 80.
  • Diagnosis of psychosis confirmed by SCID.
  • Other medical, psychiatric, or psychosocial history that is deemed unsuitable for participation in study per PI.
  • Has donated blood within the last 8 weeks.
  • Sesame oil allergy.
  • Concomitant use of other drugs that cause dizziness, confusion, sedation, or somnolence such as CNS depressants (e.g., barbiturates, benzodiazepines, ethanol, lithium, opioids, buspirone, scopolamine, antihistamines, tricyclic antidepressants, other anticholinergic agents, muscle relaxants).
  • Patients with cardiac disorders or concomitant use of other drugs that are associated with similar cardiac effects (e.g., amphetamines, other sympathomimetic agents, atropine, amoxapine, scopolamine, antihistamines, other anticholinergic agents, amitriptyline, desipramine, other tricyclic antidepressants).
  • Patients with a history of seizures, including those receiving anti-epileptic medication or with other factors that can lower the seizure threshold.

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: Other
  • Allocation: Non-Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel 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: People with HIV (PWH) with Cannabis use
PWH with cannabis use
Drug: Dronabinol Capsules
Two 10 mg Dronabinol capsules will be administered orally, for a total of 20mg, on test day.
Other Names:
  • Marinol
  • Syndros
Experimental: People without HIV (PWoH) with Cannabis use
PWoH with Cannabis use
Drug: Dronabinol Capsules
Two 10 mg Dronabinol capsules will be administered orally, for a total of 20mg, on test day.
Other Names:
  • Marinol
  • Syndros

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
Change in Dronabinol-induced transcriptome profile in blood using single cell (sc)RNA-seq
Time Frame: Baseline, 120 minutes post-Dronabinol and 360 minutes post-Dronabinol
Changes at baseline, 120 minutes, and 360 minutes post oral Dronabinol. Transcriptome will be profiled by using single cell (sc)RNA-seq in blood samples. A panel of 45 cytokines and profiling of 37 immune cell types will be assessed for functional evaluation after Dronabinol administration.
Baseline, 120 minutes post-Dronabinol and 360 minutes post-Dronabinol

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
Change in Dronabinol-induced chromatin structure profile in blood samples using single cell (sc)ATAC-seq
Time Frame: Baseline, 120 minutes post-Dronabinol and 360 minutes post-Dronabinol, up 5 years
Changes in chromatin structure will be profiled by using (sc)ATAC-seq and capture methylome sequencing in a subset of samples from the primary outcome. The investigator expects to identify the differentially accessible regions and DNA methylation regions between pre- and post-Dronabinol administration that are correlated with Dronabinol-induced immune gene expression in each cell type.
Baseline, 120 minutes post-Dronabinol and 360 minutes post-Dronabinol, up 5 years
Identification of Dronabinol related cellular gene networks in blood samples
Time Frame: up 5 years
Data from scRNA-seq (Outcome 1) and scATAC-seq (Outcome 2) will be used to establish a computational strategy to identify cell type specific gene networks for Dronabinol response in PWoH and PWH samples separately and by HIV status.
up 5 years

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.
Yale 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 on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

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: Ke Xu, MD, PhD, Yale University

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.
September 21, 2023

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.
October 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.
October 1, 2028

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 5, 2023

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 5, 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.
September 13, 2023

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.
November 5, 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.
November 4, 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.
November 1, 2025

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.
  • 2000035807
  • 1R01DA052846-01 (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

Yes

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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