The Effect of Sleep on Tendon Cellular Adaptation (TSS)

November 5, 2026 updated by: Daniel Moore, University of Toronto

The Effect of Sleep on Human Tendon Cellular Remodeling: a ex Vivo Pilot Study.

The goal of this observational study is to evaluate the effect of hormones which surge or diminish during different stages of sleep on collagen turnover in tendon cells. The main questions it aims to answer are:

  1. To evaluate the effect of serum taken from participants overnight on human tendon cell-derived collagen expression in a cell culture model.
  2. To evaluate whether tendon cell-derived collagen expression in a cell culture model is driven by changes in collagen synthesis or breakdown.

To evaluate the effect of sleep on tendon adaptation, blood will be taken from human participants overnight and used to treat a tendon cell culture model.

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.

Detailed Description

Recent clinical evidence has linked poor sleep with increased risk of musculoskeletal injury while evidence from basic biological models indicates that growth hormone and cortisol may regulate the turnover of collagen, a key structural protein in tendons. Growth hormone concentration in the blood surges during deep sleep (~1-2 hr after sleep onset), while cortisol concentration reaches a nadir at this same time. It remains unclear whether serum containing these hormones, collected during sleep itself, can modulate collagen turnover processes. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of hormones which surge or diminish during different stages of sleep on collagen turnover in tendon cells.

This study will use a within-subjects design to collect serum for ex vivo experiments. The total study duration will be ~8 days. Participants will first be screened to ensure compliance with our inclusion and exclusion criteria. Written informed consent will be obtained from participants that pass screening. Twelve participants will be recruited in total (6 male, 6 female). Participants will complete a 7 night sleep diary while wearing two wearable devices (an accelerometer to measure physical activity and basic sleep outcomes, worn on the waist; a Fitbit to estimate sleep stages and sleep onset). After the sleep diary, participants will arrive at the laboratory following an overnight fast for a resting venous blood collection. They will return to the laboratory to sleep overnight in the Nutrition and Metabolism Research Group's Bed Rest Facility. Approximately 95 minutes following sleep onset, participants will be briefly awoken for a venous blood draw (i.e., deep sleep sample), before returning to sleep. Four hours after the deep sleep sample, participants will be briefly woken up for a venous blood draw (i.e., REM sleep sample). Participants will then be allowed to finish their night of sleep in the facility.

Commercially available human tenocytes will be treated with serum from the different timepoints (morning, deep/early sleep, REM/late sleep) for 7 days. Following the 7 day treatment period, tenocytes will be collected and collagen I and III expression will be assessed by immunoblot while stable isotope tracers will be used to quantify collagen synthesis and breakdown.

The primary objective of the study is to evaluate the effect of the nocturnal biochemical milieu on human tenocyte-derived collagen expression in vitro. The secondary objectives of the study is to assess whether changes in collagen expression are due to altered collagen synthesis and/or breakdown.

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.
12

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

  • Canada
    • Ontario
      • Kingston, Ontario, Canada, K7L 3N6
        • Recruiting
        • School of Kinesiology and Health Studies Building
        • 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

18 years to 35 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Resident of Kingston, Ontario

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • healthy (determined using a medical screening questionnaire)
  • between the ages of 18 and 35
  • participants must be a non-smoker
  • self-reported moderately active (>150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per week)
  • self-reported weight stable (< 2 kg increase or decrease in weight over the previous 6 months)
  • sleep ≥ 7 hours per night
  • female participants must have a stable menstrual cycle (>3 months of 21-35 day cycle length).

Exclusion Criteria:

  • have a BMI <18.5 or >29.9 kg/m2
  • have a history of clinically diagnosed insomnia (>7 on the Insomnia Severity Index) or other sleep disorder (e.g., sleep apnea)
  • use a hormonal contraceptive (oral or IUD)
  • consume 7+ standard drinks per week (high risk range)
  • use cannabis >1 time per week
  • have any concurrent medical, orthopedic, or psychiatric condition that, in the opinion of the investigators, would compromise the ability to comply with the study requirements
  • regularly use anti-inflammatory and/or analgesic medication, whether prescription or not; use any medications known to affect collagen metabolism (e.g., glucocorticoids, acetaminophen, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication, or prescription strength acne medication, ACE inhibitors, proton pump inhibitors, growth hormone, GLP-1 receptor agonists);
  • participated in a study involving a phenylalanine stable-isotope tracer in the previous year

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

  • Observational Models: COHORT
  • Time Perspectives: PROSPECTIVE

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.
Healthy, young males and females.

Healthy, recreationally active, young adults (18-35) regularly getting > 7 h of sleep per night are the target population. There is no intervention for this study.

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
Collagen Expression
Time Frame: Ex vivo experiments and immunoblot analysis will conclude approximately 12 weeks following serum collection.

Tenocyte-derived collagen expression will be assessed following a 7 day treatment period using daytime, early/deep sleep, and late/REM sleep by immunoblot.
Ex vivo experiments and immunoblot analysis will conclude approximately 12 weeks following serum collection.

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
Collagen Synthesis
Time Frame: Ex vivo experiments and immunoblot analysis will conclude approximately 12 weeks following serum collection.

On the last day of the 7 day serum incubation, cells will be treated with a stable-isotope tracer for 6hrs to measure incorporation of this tracer into tenocyte collagen and thus collagen synthesis.
Ex vivo experiments and immunoblot analysis will conclude approximately 12 weeks following serum collection.
Collagen breakdown
Time Frame: Ex vivo experiments and immunoblot analysis will conclude approximately 12 weeks following serum collection.

Cells will be treated with a stable isotope tracer during a 7 day serum incubation. Six hours prior to collection, tracer will be withdrawn and tracer release into the media will be measured to estimate collagen breakdown.
Ex vivo experiments and immunoblot analysis will conclude approximately 12 weeks following serum collection.

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.
University of Toronto

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.
Tanenbaum Institute for Science in Sport

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: Chris McGlory, PhD, Queen's University
  • Principal Investigator: Dan R Moore, PhD, University of Toronto

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 10, 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.
February 1, 2027

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.
May 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 5, 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.
November 5, 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.
November 12, 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.
November 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.
November 5, 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.
November 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

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.
  • TSS
  • TISS FKPE Seed Grant (Other Grant/Funding Number: Tanenbaum Institute for Science in Sport)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

This study is a collaboration between the McGlory and Moore research groups. Therefore, sleep and activity data will be shared between groups. Serum collected from sleep trials at the McGlory lab will also be shared with the Moore lab where ex vivo experiments will be conducted. However, no identifying information collected by the McGlory lab will be shared with the Moore lab.

IPD Sharing Time Frame

IPD collected by the McGlory lab will be made available to collaborators at the Moore lab following completion of data collection (estimated October 2026) until the time of publication (estimated November 2027).

IPD Sharing Access Criteria

Paul Babits and Dr. Daniel Moore will have access sleep, activity data as well as serum collected during overnight trials. Electronic data will be shared via secure servers. Serum will be shipped between sites following the completion of data collection.

IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type

  • STUDY_PROTOCOL
  • SAP

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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