Fortified Oral Rehydration Therapy for Pediatric Diarrhea (fORT)

February 9, 2026 updated by: Paul A Breslin

Reduction of Severity and Duration of Pediatric Gastroenteritis Through Amino Acid Fortified Oral Rehydration Therapy

The goal of this clinical trial is to compare amino acid-fortified oral rehydration therapy (ORT) to the standard of care ORT in pediatric patients with acute gastroenteritis (AGE). The main questions it aims to answer are:

  • can amino acid-fortified ORT reduce the duration and severity of AGE compared to standard of care ORT?
  • can amino acid-fortified ORT increase the secretion of antimicrobial peptides in the gastrointestinal tract compared to standard of care ORT?

Participants will be assigned to the experimental treatment (amino acid-fortified ORT) or the standard of care ORT and their disease severity, duration, and stool antimicrobial peptide content.

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.

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.
72

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
    • New Jersey
      • New Brunswick, New Jersey, United States, 08901

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

  • Child

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Between the ages of 6 months and 5 years.
  • Experiencing mild to moderate acute gastroenteritis for less than two (2) days before admission to Pediatric Emergency Department.
  • Diarrhea presumed infectious

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Severe gastroenteritis with moderate to severe dehydration
  • Requiring inpatient care
  • Requiring antibiotics
  • Requiring IV rehydration
  • History of chronic diarrhea
  • Presenting with diarrhea for greater than 2 days prior to admission
  • Allergy to any of the ingredients in the study products
  • Inborn metabolic disorder of amino acids
  • Receives post-pyloric feedings

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: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Triple

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.
Placebo Comparator: Standard of care oral rehydration therapy

Participants will consume the standard of care oral rehydration therapy according to the WHO Treatment Plan A for ORT administration:

  • Child under 24 months: 50 to 100 ml after each loose stool (approximately 500 ml daily)
  • Child from 2 to 10 years: 100 to 200 ml after each loose stool (approximately 1000 ml daily)
Dietary supplement: Standard of Care Oral Rehydration Therapy
Glucose-based oral rehydration therapy according to World Health Organization guidelines.
Experimental: Amino acid-fortified oral rehydration therapy

Participants will consume the amino acid-fortified oral rehydration therapy (fORT) according to the World Health Organization (WHO) Treatment Plan A for ORT administration:

  • Child under 24 months: 50 to 100 ml ORT after each loose stool (approximately 500 ml daily)
  • Child from 2 to 10 years: 100 to 200 ml ORT after each loose stool (approximately 1000 ml daily)
Drug: Fortified Oral Rehydration Therapy
Oral rehydration solution with reduced glucose and added amino acids.
Other Names:
  • FORT

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
Daily Stool Frequency
Time Frame: Up to 14 days
Number of bowel movements (BMs) per day (count)
Up to 14 days
Daily Stool Mass
Time Frame: Up to 14 days
Total mass of stool per day from measured BMs in grams
Up to 14 days
Duration of Diarrhea
Time Frame: Up to 14 days
Duration of diarrhea in hours from onset until 3 formed stools in a row
Up to 14 days

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
Consumption of Study Intervention
Time Frame: Up to 14 days
Mls of ORT or FORT consumed per day
Up to 14 days
Stool Consistency
Time Frame: Up to 14 days
Stool consistency rated on the Bristol Stool Scale
Up to 14 days
Body Weight
Time Frame: Up to 14 days
Weight of child each day of study in kg
Up to 14 days
Stool Human Beta-Defensin-2 Content
Time Frame: Up to 14 days
Beta-defensin-2 measured from stool sample in ng/ml
Up to 14 days

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.
Paul A Breslin

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.
The Gerber Foundation

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: Paul Breslin, PhD, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

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.
June 1, 2024

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.
June 1, 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).
November 7, 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.
November 16, 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.
November 18, 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 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.
February 9, 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

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.
  • Pro2021002499

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

We will share all de-identified data upon request by other researchers upon submission of manuscripts to journals.

IPD Sharing Time Frame

These will be made available to researchers and editors upon submission of manuscripts to journals for a period of up to 7 years post publication.

IPD Sharing Access Criteria

Qualified independent researchers with an academic interest in pediatric GI disease. These data will be provided following review and approval of a research proposal, statistical analysis plan, and execution of a data sharing plan.

IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type

  • STUDY_PROTOCOL
  • SAP
  • ICF
  • CSR

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.

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