Hyperpolarized Xenon MRI in Adults With Pulmonary Hypertension in Interstitial Lung Disease and Systemic Sclerosis

September 10, 2026 updated by: Bastiaan Driehuys

Harmonized Hyperpolarized 129Xe MRI for Noninvasive Assessment of Pulmonary Hypertension in Interstitial Lung Disease and Systemic Sclerosis (ILD-PH/SSc)

This study aims to evaluate a noninvasive magnetic resonance imaging technique using hyperpolarized xenon gas to measure lung function in adults with interstitial lung disease, pulmonary hypertension, and systemic sclerosis. Researchers will assess whether MRI measurements correlate with clinical measures of lung and vascular function.

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.

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.
51

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

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:

  • Age ≥18 years at enrollment.
  • Participant is willing and able to provide written informed consent.
  • Able (in the Investigator's opinion) and willing to comply with all study requirements.
  • Participant has or is suspected to have one of the following pulmonary conditions:
  • Healthy volunteers: aged 18-30 years; no known cardiopulmonary disease; has not smoked tobacco products in the previous 5 years; smoking history, if any, is less than or equal to 5 pack-years; no history of using other inhaled products more than 1 time per week for > 1 year OR
  • ILD-PH: ≥18 years; ILD diagnosis; precapillary PH by RHC (mPAP >20 mmHg, PVR >2 WU, PCWP ≤15 mmHg) within the specified window OR
  • SSc: systemic sclerosis diagnosis with or without PH

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Any condition which, in the opinion of the Investigator, would make it unsafe or unsuitable for the participants to undergo MRI (for example: presence of an implanted or external MRI unsafe device that cannot be removed, body weight exceeding table limitations, inability to lie flat, or severe claustrophobia).
  • Inability to hold breath for 10-15 seconds for required imaging or for completion of DLCO measurements.
  • Active pulmonary infection or lung cancer.
  • Recent respiratory infection or pulmonary disease exacerbation within 4 weeks of screening.
  • Participants who are known to be pregnant or lactating.
  • Concurrent enrollment and participation in a study which, in the opinion of the Investigator, would interfere with the study compliance, or outcome assessments or would prohibit the collection of the required data points.

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: Basic Science
  • 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 Xenon MRI
Participants undergo hyperpolarized Xenon MRI imaging and clinical assessments.
Drug: Hyperpolarized 129 Xenon Gas
Hyperpolarized xenon gas is inhaled during MRI to evaluate lung ventilation and gas exchange.

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
Diagnostic Accuracy for Detection of Pulmonary Hypertension (sensitivity)
Time Frame: Single study visit, Day 1
Sensitivity of pre-specified 129Xe MRI biomarkers for identifying pre-capillary pulmonary hypertension in participants with systemic sclerosis, using right-heart catheterization as the reference standard.
Single study visit, Day 1
Diagnostic Accuracy for Detection of Pulmonary Hypertension (specificity)
Time Frame: Single study visit, Day 1
Specificity of pre-specified 129Xe MRI biomarkers for identifying pre-capillary pulmonary hypertension in participants with systemic sclerosis, using right-heart catheterization as the reference standard.
Single study visit, Day 1

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
RBC Oscillation Imaging Amplitude Defect Percentage
Time Frame: Single study visit, Day 1
Percentage of lung volume exhibiting abnormal regional RBC oscillation amplitude as measured by hyperpolarized 129Xe MRI.
Single study visit, Day 1
Whole-Lung RBC Chemical Shift
Time Frame: Single study visit, Day 1
Mean frequency difference between the center of the RBC resonance and the alveolar gas resonance.
Single study visit, Day 1

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.
Bastiaan Driehuys

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: Joseph Mammarappallil, Duke 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 (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.
April 20, 2030

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 20, 2030

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 10, 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.
September 10, 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.
September 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.
September 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.
September 10, 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.
September 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.
  • Pro00120593
  • R01HL126771 (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

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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