One-Time DNA Study for Vasculitis

January 21, 2026 updated by: Peter Merkel, University of Pennsylvania

VCRC Genetic Repository One-Time DNA Protocol

The purpose of this study is to identify genes that increase the risk of developing vasculitis, a group of severe diseases that feature inflammation of blood vessels. Results of these studies will provide vasculitis researchers with insight into the causes of these diseases and generate new ideas for diagnostic tests and therapies, and will be of great interest to the larger communities of researchers investigating vasculitis and other autoimmune, inflammatory, and vascular diseases.

Study Overview

Status

Recruiting

Conditions

Detailed Description

The systemic vasculitides comprise several inflammatory diseases of blood vessels, usually arteries, which may cause systemic, multi-organ disease that can result in substantial morbidity and increased mortality. Each type of vasculitis is a rare ("orphan") disease. However, taken together, vasculitis affects tens of thousands of Americans and is responsible for substantial morbidity and mortality and almost one billion dollars per year in hospital care alone. While the vasculitides share the trait of vascular inflammation, the unique disease phenotypes, clinical courses, differences in prognoses, and responses to therapy suggest that important differences exist in pathogenesis. The Vasculitis Clinical Research Consortium (VCRC) currently focuses on 6 specific types of vasculitis that were selected to represent a balance between unmet medical and scientific needs, prevalence in North America, feasibility of study, and an interest in studying a spectrum of small, medium, and large vessel vasculitides.

The great majority of published studies on the genetics of vasculitis have used modest-sized cohorts that are only suitable for investigation of a few candidate genes at a time, or to detect large effect sizes, so that replicated findings are highly skewed to the HLA region. Larger and more ambitious genetic studies in vasculitis are expected to generate numerous hypotheses for translational research in gene expression, biochemistry, and molecular pathology.

A one-time collection of clinical data and DNA would substantially increase the sample sizes for genetic association studies in all six vasculitides studied in the VCRC. Many patients are seen at participating VCRC centers but do not enroll in the Longitudinal Studies. These patients often are interested in participating in research studies but cannot return frequently for visits, usually due to distance from the VCRC centers. This approach would be particularly useful for the rarer forms of vasculitis under study (Takayasu's Arteritis (TAK), Polyarteritis Nodosa (PAN), eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (Churg-Strauss) (EGPA) and also for Giant Cell Arteritis (GCA), since elderly patients have been particularly likely to decline participation in the Longitudinal Studies due to travel constraints.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

1000

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 Locations

  • Canada
    • Ontario
      • Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
        • Recruiting
        • St. Joseph's Healthcare
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Nader Khalidi, MD
      • Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5T 3L9
        • Recruiting
        • Mount Sinai Hospital
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Christian Pagnoux, MD
        • Contact:
  • Turkey (Türkiye)
    • Fatih
      • Istanbul, Fatih, Turkey (Türkiye), 34452
        • Completed
        • Istanbul University
  • United States
    • California
      • Los Angeles, California, United States, 90048
        • Completed
        • Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
      • San Francisco, California, United States, 94143
        • Completed
        • University of California, San Francisco
    • Illinois
    • Kansas
      • Kansas City, Kansas, United States, 66103
        • Completed
        • University of Kansas Medical Center
    • Michigan
      • Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States, 48109-5422
        • Completed
        • University of Michigan
    • Minnesota
      • Rochester, Minnesota, United States, 55905
        • Completed
        • Mayo Clinic
    • New York
      • New York, New York, United States, 10021
        • Completed
        • Hospital For Special Surgery
    • Ohio
      • Cleveland, Ohio, United States, 44195
        • Completed
        • Cleveland Clinic
    • Pennsylvania
      • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, 19104
      • Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, 15261
        • Completed
        • University of Pittsburgh
    • Utah
      • Salt Lake City, Utah, United States, 84132
        • Completed
        • University of Utah

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

Ages Eligible for Study

7 years and older (Child, Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Individuals with giant cell arteritis, Takayasu's arteritis, polyarteritis nodosa, granulomatosis with polyangiitis (Wegener's), microscopic polyangiitis, and eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (Churg-Strauss). Enrollment will be sequential and patients will have disease in various stages and of different duration.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Diagnostic criteria for Giant Cell Arteritis Age at disease onset >50 years (required)

  1. New onset or new type of localized pain in the head
  2. Temporal artery abnormality (i.e. temporal artery tenderness to palpation or decreased pulsation, unrelated to arteriosclerosis of cervical arteries)
  3. ESR of >40mm in the first hour by the Westergren method
  4. Abnormal artery biopsy (i.e. temporal artery biopsy showing vasculitis characterized by a predominance of mononuclear cell infiltration or granulomatous inflammation, usually with multinucleated giant cells)
  5. Large Vessel Vasculitis (LVV) by angiogram or biopsy not explained by something else

Inclusion Criteria:

2. Diagnostic criteria for Takayasu's Arteritis

  1. Age at disease onset <50 years
  2. Claudication of extremities
  3. Decreased brachial artery pulse (one or both arteries)
  4. Blood pressure difference of >10mm Hg between the arms
  5. Bruit over subclavian arteries or aorta
  6. Arteriogram abnormalities compatible with TAK (includes conventional dye angiography or MR angiography or CT angiography)

Inclusion Criteria:

3. Diagnostic criteria for Polyarteritis Nodosa Major criteria (not explained by other causes) felt by investigator to be due to vasculitis

  1. Arteriographic abnormality
  2. Presence of granulocyte or mixed leukocyte infiltrate in an arterial wall on biopsy
  3. Mononeuropathy or polyneuropathy

Minor criteria (not explained by other causes) felt by investigator to be due to vasculitis

  1. Weight loss > 4 kg
  2. Livedo reticularis, cutaneous ulcerations, or skin nodules
  3. Testicular pain or tenderness
  4. Myalgias
  5. Diastolic blood pressure > 90 mm Hg
  6. Elevated BUN or serum creatinine levels
  7. Ischemic abdominal pain

Isolated cutaneous Polyarteritis Nodosa 1. Biopsy-proven cutaneous PAN

Inclusion Criteria:

4. Diagnostic criteria for Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis (Wegener's) (GPA) and Microscopic Polyangitis (MPA)

  • Diagnosis of GPA or MPA. Widely accepted diagnostic criteria, as opposed to classification criteria or definitions, have not been developed for GPA & MPA.

  • For diagnosis of GPA meets at least 2 of the following 5 modified ACR criteria:

    1. Nasal or oral inflammation with oral ulcers or nasal discharge with pus or blood
    2. Abnormal chest radiograph with nodules, fixed infiltrates, or cavities
    3. Urinary sediment with microhematuria or red cell casts
    4. Granulomatous inflammation within the wall of an artery or in the perivascular area on biopsy
    5. Antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA) positive by enzyme immunoassay for either PR3- or MPO-ANCA

  • For diagnosis of MPA, meets the Chapel Hill Consensus Conference Definition for MPA:

    1. Necrotizing vasculitis, with few or no immune deposits, that affects small vessels (i.e., capillaries, venules, arterioles)
    2. Necrotizing arteritis involving small- and medium-sized arteries may be present
    3. Necrotizing glomerulonephritis is very common

    4. Pulmonary capillaritis often occurs

      Inclusion Criteria:

      5. Diagnostic criteria for Eosinophilic Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis (Churg-Strauss)

      1. Asthma
      2. Peak peripheral blood eosinophilia of >10% of total WBC
      3. Peripheral neuropathy attributable to vasculitis
      4. Transient pulmonary infiltrates on chest imaging studies
      5. Paranasal sinus abnormalities or nasal polyposis
      6. Eosinophilic inflammation on tissue biopsy

      If patients have 4 of the above 6 criteria but lack clearcut documentation of small vessel vasculitis, they are also eligible for enrollment.

      General Exclusion Criteria:

  • Inability to give informed consent and to sign the consent form
  • Enrolled in VCRC protocols 5502, 5503, 5504, 5505, 5506, 5522, or 5523
  • Unwilling to provide blood for DNA collection

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

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Evaluation of clinical data and linked DNA specimens.
Time Frame: 1 year.
1 year.

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

University of Pennsylvania

Collaborators

National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)
Rare Diseases Clinical Research Network
Office of Rare Diseases (ORD)

Investigators

  • Study Director: Peter Merkel, MD, MPH, University of Pennsylvania

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

October 1, 2010

Primary Completion (Estimated)

August 1, 2028

Study Completion (Estimated)

August 1, 2028

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

October 22, 2010

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 15, 2010

First Posted (Estimated)

November 16, 2010

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

January 22, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 21, 2026

Last Verified

January 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • VCRC5510
  • U54AR057319-06 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

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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