ALDH2 Genetic Testing in East Asian Community

August 7, 2026 updated by: Jennifer Young, Northwestern University

A Community-Based Approach for ALDH2 Genetic Testing in East Asian Americans

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn whether education plus genetic testing for ALDH2*2 and ADH1B*2 is feasible and acceptable and whether it influences modifiable health behaviors in East Asian American adults who experience alcohol flushing when they drink alcohol or have a family history of flushing. The main questions it aims to answer are:

  1. Is providing education plus ALDH2*2/ADH1B*2 genetic testing feasible and acceptable in a clinical care context?
  2. Does receiving genetic testing results plus education lead to changes in modifiable health behaviors compared with education alone? Researchers will compare education plus genetic testing (intervention arm) to education only (control arm) to see if adding genetic testing improves feasibility/acceptability and supports health behavior change.

Participants will:

  1. Complete an education module about alcohol flushing and ALDH2/ADH1B
  2. Be randomized to either: (A) Receive genetic testing for ALDH2*2 and ADH1B*2 with results disclosure, or (B) Receive education only.
  3. Complete follow-up measures about feasibility, acceptability, and modifiable health behaviors

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Not yet 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

Alcohol flushing syndrome affects an estimated >500 million individuals worldwide and is strongly associated with functional variants in alcohol metabolism genes, particularly ALDH2 (e.g., ALDH2*2) and ADH1B (e.g., ADH1B*2). ALDH2*2 reduces aldehyde dehydrogenase activity, contributing to acetaldehyde accumulation and is associated with increased risk for alcohol-related morbidity, including certain cancers and cardiometabolic outcomes. Despite the public health relevance, ALDH2/ADH1B implementation in clinical care remains limited, and evidence-based strategies are needed to support equitable and ethical adoption, especially for populations underrepresented in genomics research. This study will engage the East Asian American community to evaluate implementation strategies for ALDH2*2 and ADH1B*2 genetic testing and education in clinical settings and to examine the behavioral impact of returning genetic risk information. Using a pragmatic, randomized comparative effectiveness pilot design, East Asian American adults who self-report alcohol flushing and/or a family history of flushing will be randomized to either: (1) education plus ALDH2*2/ADH1B*2 genetic testing with genotype-informed result disclosure, or (2) education alone. Primary outcomes are feasibility and acceptability of the testing-and-education approach; secondary outcomes include changes in modifiable health behaviors (e.g., alcohol-related decision-making) following education with or without genetic result return. Findings will inform scalable implementation pathways and contribute to equitable integration of genomic testing into routine care for populations experiencing healthcare disparities.

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.
100

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 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

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

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. Age 18 or older
  2. Self-identified as East Asian and/or East Asian American
  3. Flush when they drink alcohol or have a family member who flushes when they drink
  4. Able to read and speak English

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: Prevention
  • Allocation: 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.
Active Comparator: Alcohol Flushing Education Only
Behavioral: Alcohol Flushing Education
Administering alcohol flushing educational module.
Experimental: Alcohol Flushing Education AND Genetic Testing
Behavioral: Alcohol Flushing Education
Administering alcohol flushing educational module.
Behavioral: Genetic Test Results Return
Returning genetic test results for alcohol flushing genes (i.e., ALDH2, ADH1B)

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
Feasibility of Alcohol Flushing Genetic Testing in Primary Care
Time Frame: From enrollment to the end of data collection at 8 weeks.
Feasibility of Intervention Measure (FIM) will be administered to primary care clinicians to measure the extent to which alcohol flushing genetic testing can be successfully used or carried out within a primary care setting. Post-intervention, we will quantitatively assess feasibility of ALDH2 education and genetic testing via 1 questionnaire (4 items total): Feasibility of Intervention Measure (FIM). This 4-item psychometrically-validated measure captures the extent to which individuals believe an implementation strategy is feasible.
From enrollment to the end of data collection at 8 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
Acceptability of Alcohol Flushing Genetic Testing in Primary Care
Time Frame: From enrollment to the end of data collection at 8 weeks.
Acceptability of Intervention Measure (AIM) assess how agreeable, palatable, or satisfactory alcohol flushing genetic testing is to primary care clinicians. Post-intervention, we will quantitatively assess acceptability of ALDH2 education and genetic testing via 1 questionnaire (4 items total): Acceptability of Intervention Measure (AIM). This 4-item psychometrically-validated measure captures the extent to which individuals believe an implementation strategy is acceptable.
From enrollment to the end of data collection at 8 weeks.
Change(s) in Alcohol Consumption
Time Frame: Alcohol consumption outcome measurements at baseline and one month after educational modules are shared AND after genetic testing results are received.
Alcohol consumption outcome measurements at baseline and one month after educational modules are shared AND after genetic testing results are received. This results in 3 alcohol outcome measurements total for both arms of the study.
Alcohol consumption outcome measurements at baseline and one month after educational modules are shared AND after genetic testing results are received.

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.
Northwestern 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 Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)

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: Jennifer L Young, PhD, Northwestern U

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Helpful Links

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 (Estimated)

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, 2026

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.
June 1, 2029

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 30, 2029

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).
January 21, 2026

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.
February 4, 2026

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.
February 6, 2026

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 11, 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.
August 7, 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.
August 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.
  • STU00222224
  • 1K01HL173859-01 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

Consent language approved by IRB board did not include broad data sharing AND IDP may be identifiable.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

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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