Mechanistic Clinical Trial of PCSK9 Inhibition for AAA

A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Mechanistic Clinical Trial of PCSK9 Inhibition With Evolocumab in Patients Undergoing Open Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Repair

The goal of this mechanistic clinical trial is to assess whether lowering the low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels in the blood with the injections of the medication evolocumab will have any effect on the tissue or cells of patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). Researchers will compare participants receiving evolocumab injections to participants receiving placebo injections to see how the tissue and cells of the aorta are affected by changes in LDL-C levels.

Study Overview

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Conditions: Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm
• Intervention / Treatment: Drug: Evolocumab; Drug: Placebo

Detailed Description

After being informed about the study and its potential risks, all patients giving informed consent will undergo a baseline visit and be randomized to received either evolocumab 140mg subcutaneously or placebo. This baseline visit includes a vital signs assessment, laboratory tests, medical history and medication review, a pregnancy test (if applicable), and training on how to perform drug injections. Participants will receive 3 doses/autoinjectors of study drug or placebo and be instructed to perform injections every 14 days starting 5 weeks prior to their scheduled AAA repair. If the baseline assessment occurs 5 weeks prior to their scheduled AAA, the first injection will be performed during this visit. Participants will have the option of coming back to the site for injections 2 and 3 or perform these injections at home under telehealth supervision. At the time of open AAA repair, participants will repeat laboratory tests and have a sample of aneurysm tissue taken. Participants will then have a follow up phone call 4 weeks after AAA repair to assess for any adverse events. At the conclusion of the study investigators will examine gene expression and protein levels in the aortic tissue to determine the impact of LDL-C lowering with evolocumab.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 44
• Phase: Early Phase 1

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Scott Damrauer, MD; Phone Number: 215-615-1698; Email: damrauer@upenn.edu

Study Locations

• United States
  • Pennsylvania
    • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, 19010
      • Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
      • Contact: Scott Damrauer, MD; Phone Number: 215-6140176; Email: scott.damrauer@pennmedicine.upenn.edu

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) requiring open surgical repair
2. Age > 18
3. Provision of signed and dated informed consent form
4. Stated willingness to comply with all study procedures and availability for the duration of the study

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Prior use of a PCSK9 inhibitor (evolocumab, alirocumab, inclisiran) within 6 months of the baseline visit
2. LDL-C < 40 mg/dL (within 3 months of baseline visit)
3. Known allergy to PCSK9 inhibitor
4. Aortic dissection
5. Vascular connective tissue disorders
6. Type I-III or V Thoraco-abdominal Aortic Aneurysm
7. Vasculitis or inflammatory aneurysm
8. Pregnant or lactating women
9. Poorly controlled diabetes (A1C > 10%)
10. Chronic kidney disease Stage 4/5 or End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) on hemodialysis (HD)
11. Liver Disease (alanine transaminase [ALT] or aspartate aminotransferase [ALT] > 3.0 x upper limits of normal) (within 3 months of baseline visit)
12. Known latex or naturally rubber allergy
13. Treatment with another investigational product within 30 days or 5 half-lives of the investigation drug before consent (whichever is longer) that would have an impact on endpoints associated with this trial.
14. Any other condition that the Investigator feels prohibits participants' ability to comply with study or follow up.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Other
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Quadruple

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Evolocumab; Evolocumab is the drug that will be administered in this study. It will be administered as a 140mg subcutaneous injection every 14 days for 5 weeks (for a total of 3 doses).	Drug: Evolocumab; See arm description.
Placebo Comparator: Placebo; This arm is a matching placebo that will be administered in the same fashion as the study drug if the patient is randomized to placebo.	Drug: Placebo; See arm description.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Interleukin (IL)-6 in myeloid derived monocytes/macrophages from in AAA tissue	IL-6 expression will be measured in myeloid cells in the aortic tissue specimens using single nucleus RNA sequencing and confirmed by whole tissue ELISA.	AAA Repair (Week 5)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 in myeloid derived monocytes/macrophages from in AAA tissue	MMP-9 expression will be measured in myeloid cells in the aortic tissue specimens using single nucleus RNA sequencing and confirmed by whole tissue ELISA and immunofluorescence activity assays.	AAA Repair (Week 5)
Infiltrating immune cell composition and their activation/inflammatory states in AAA tissue	Relative numbers of infiltrating immune cell type and their activation/inflammatory state as measured by a combination of bulk and single nuclear RNA sequencing	AAA Repair (Week 5)
Smooth muscle composition of AAA tissue	The relative numbers of smooth muscle cells and their contractile/proliferative state as measured by a combination of bulk and single nucleus RNA sequencing	AAA Repair (Week 5)

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Pennsylvania
• Collaborators: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI); Amgen
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Scott Damrauer, MD, University of Pennsylvania

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Estimated): December 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): January 15, 2029
• Study Completion (Estimated): February 28, 2029

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: October 3, 2023
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 3, 2023
• First Posted (Actual): October 13, 2023

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): April 20, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 16, 2026
• Last Verified: April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Vascular Diseases; Cardiovascular Diseases; Aortic Diseases; Aneurysm; Aortic Aneurysm; Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal; PCSK9 Inhibitors; Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action; Protease Inhibitors; Enzyme Inhibitors; Antimetabolites; Serine Proteinase Inhibitors; Anticholesteremic Agents; Hypolipidemic Agents; Lipid Regulating Agents; evolocumab
• Other Study ID Numbers: 852428; R01HL166991 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: Yes
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: Yes