SNRK & Vascular Endothelial Aging

May 12, 2026 updated by: Xintong Ge, Tianjin Medical University

The Association Between SNRK and Vascular Endothelial Aging

Cardiovascular diseases pose a serious threat to public health, and their prevalence is on the rise year by year. Vascular aging is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, and endothelial cell senescence is an early event in vascular aging. Its occurrence can lead to endothelium-dependent vasodilation dysfunction, reduced vascular permeability, and the release of the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP). These vascular pathological changes further damage the vascular media, leading to vascular remodeling and reduced compliance, accelerating the progression of atherosclerosis, and ultimately resulting in cardiovascular diseases such as coronary heart disease and hypertension. Recent research of the investigators has revealed that SNRK, a new member of the AMPK family of cellular energy sensors, plays a key regulatory role in vascular development. Based on this finding, the investigators propose the scientific hypothesis that SNRK responds to both physiological and pathological aging stimuli through differential mechanisms and regulates the process of endothelial cell senescence. In this study, the investigators will explore the correlation between SNRKAS and carotid vascular structure and endothelial function by measuring the levels of the SNRK upstream lncRNA (SNRKAS) in participants' peripheral blood, in conjunction with carotid ultrasound examinations. The findings will provide a solid scientific basis for elucidating new mechanisms underlying the onset and progression of vascular aging and for identifying novel therapeutic targets.

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.
Observational

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.
180

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: Xintong Ge, M.D.
  • Phone Number: 86-022-60362237
  • Email: xge@tmu.edu.cn

Study Locations

  • China
    • Tianjin Municipality
      • Tianjin, Tianjin Municipality, China, 300052
        • Recruiting
        • Tianjin Medical University General Hospital
        • Contact:

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

Sampling Method

Probability Sample

Study Population

Estimated by statistical analysis, a total of 180 subjects were included from individuals who come for physical examinations or medical visits to the leading and collaborating administrations of this project, and meet the inclusion criteria between April 2026 and March 2029.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. Aged 18-80 years, with the capacity to make decisions independently or represented by an authorized legal guardian;
  2. Able to provide complete personal information, medical history, and lifestyle history (e.g., smoking and alcohol consumption history);
  3. No history of severe cardiovascular disease, and deemed eligible for inclusion by a physician.

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Women who are pregnant or may become pregnant;
  2. Patients with a history of neurological disorders, tumors, severe cardiovascular or pulmonary disease, liver failure, kidney failure, or blood disorders;
  3. Patients who have undergone carotid stenting, carotid endarterectomy, or other similar procedures, or who have unilateral carotid artery occlusion due to any cause;
  4. Patients who have participated in another clinical trial within the past 4 weeks;
  5. Individuals deemed unsuitable for this clinical trial by the investigators.

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.
< 40 years old
Participants of < 40 years old.
Diagnostic test: serum tests and carotid ultrasound test
  1. 10 mL of venous blood was drawn from each participant to measure blood lipids and serum levels of SNRKAS (using RT-qPCR), and to perform transcriptomic analysis.
  2. Carotid ultrasound was used to measure circumferential strain and pulse wave velocity in both carotid arteries to assess the degree of arterial stiffness.
40-60 years old
Participants of 40-60 years old.
Diagnostic test: serum tests and carotid ultrasound test
  1. 10 mL of venous blood was drawn from each participant to measure blood lipids and serum levels of SNRKAS (using RT-qPCR), and to perform transcriptomic analysis.
  2. Carotid ultrasound was used to measure circumferential strain and pulse wave velocity in both carotid arteries to assess the degree of arterial stiffness.
> 60 years old
Participants of > 60 years old.
Diagnostic test: serum tests and carotid ultrasound test
  1. 10 mL of venous blood was drawn from each participant to measure blood lipids and serum levels of SNRKAS (using RT-qPCR), and to perform transcriptomic analysis.
  2. Carotid ultrasound was used to measure circumferential strain and pulse wave velocity in both carotid arteries to assess the degree of arterial stiffness.

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
Serum levels of SNRKAS detected by RT-PCR
Time Frame: At enrollment
serum levels of SNRKAS (fold change)
At enrollment
Degree of bilateral carotid artery stenosis detected by Doppler ultrasound
Time Frame: At enrollment
Intima-media thickness (mm) and lumen diameter (mm) of bilateral common carotid artery and internal carotid artery
At enrollment
Pulse wave velocity in both carotid arteries detected by Doppler ultrasound
Time Frame: At enrollment
Peak systolic velocity (cm/s) of bilateral common carotid artery and internal carotid artery
At enrollment

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
Blood lipids levels detected by automated biochemical analyzer (LABOSPECT 008, Hitachi)
Time Frame: At enrollment
Total Cholesterol (mmol/L), Triglycerides (mmol/L), High-Density Lipoprotein (mmol/L), Low-Density Lipoprotein (mmol/L)
At enrollment

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.
Tianjin Medical University

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.
  • Study Chair: Minghui Zou, Ph.D., mhzou@tmu.edu.cn

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.
May 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.
April 30, 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.
April 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).
May 6, 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.
May 12, 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.
May 15, 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.
May 15, 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.
May 12, 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.
May 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.
  • IRB2026-YX-172-01

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type

  • STUDY_PROTOCOL
  • ICF

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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