The Aim of the Study is to Decipher the Alterations in Signalling Pathways of Skeletal Muscle Stem Cells (Satellite Cells (SCs)) in Individuals With COPD, as Well as to Examine the Effect of Exercise Training on SCs. (SCOOP)

November 2, 2026 updated by: University Hospital, Bordeaux

Study of Satellite Cells in COPD-associated sarcOPenia (Satellite Cells in COPD Sarcopenia) : Exploratory Cohort Study for Translational Research

The aim of the study is to decipher the alterations in signalling pathways of skeletal muscle stem cells (satellite cells (SCs)) in individuals with COPD, as well as to examine the effect of exercise training on SCs. To this end, the team will perform an exhaustive evaluation of lung and muscle function, including exercise capacity, as well as muscle biopsies, before and after a 2-months rehabilitation program. This study should provide new therapeutic avenues for COPD-associated sarcopenia.

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is now to be considered as a multimorbid disease, originating from a combination of several risk factors (respiratory events in childhood, exposure to inhaled particles, physical inactivity, etc.), and simultaneously affecting several organs. This multi-organ impairment is likely to arise from common biological processes such as systemic inflammation or repair failure. Studying these processes in an organ that is easily accessible to biopsy, such as skeletal muscle, can help in the overall management of COPD. Skeletal muscle wasting (or sarcopenia: loss of muscle mass and force) is also a major comorbidity in COPD, both frequent and associated to increased mortality. Muscle stem cells (satellite cells) are responsible for repairing skeletal muscle tissue after injury, notably after micro-lesions induced by exercise. However, they have been scarcely studied in COPD. In the present project, the team proposes to study repair abnormalities in skeletal muscle tissue by comparing the signalling pathways activated in satellite cells of patients with COPD, before and after a respiratory rehabilitation programme (20 sessions over 8 to 12 weeks). The team will carry out an exhaustive respiratory and muscular assessment at inclusion and at the end of the 20 sessions, evaluating in particular respiratory function and exercise capacity (Pulmonary Function Tests, cardio-pulmonary exercise testing with VO2max measurement, 6-minute walking test, handgrip test) as well as a quadricipital muscle biopsy with the modified Bergström's technique. Muscle biopsies will be used to culture satellite cells and assess their regenerative capacity in vitro, as well as to analyse dysregulated signalling pathways at the transcriptomic level with single-cell RNAsequencing. The results should help to identify new therapeutic avenues for the comprehensive management of multimorbid COPD.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

26

Phase

  • Not Applicable

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

  • France
      • Créteil, France, 94000
        • Hôpital Henri-Mondor
        • Contact:
      • Paris, France, 75013
      • Pessac, France, 33400
        • CHU de Bordeaux
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Pauline HENROT, MD

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

18 years to 75 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Adult male or female (age 18 years or older);
  • Having a diagnosis of COPD according to the GOLD (Global Initiative for Lung Disease) 2024 criteria, i.e. a non-reversible bronchial obstruction in spirometry with a post-bronchodilator Tiffeneau coefficient < 70%;
  • Less than or equal to 75 years of age;
  • Must benefit from exercise retraining sessions or respiratory rehabilitation as part of the management of COPD;
  • Person affiliated to or beneficiary of a social security scheme (excluding State Medical Aid (AME));
  • Free, informed and written consent signed by the participant or by a third party (in the event of the participant's physical disability) and the investigator (no later than the day of inclusion and before any review required by the research).

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Moderate or severe acute exacerbation of COPD, or acute intercurrent condition (e.g., infection) that has been ongoing or resolved for less than 4 weeks;
  • Systemic corticosteroid therapy in progress or stopped for less than 4 weeks;
  • Contraindication to respiratory rehabilitation: tight aortic stenosis, unstable heart failure, active thromboembolic disease, ventricular aneurysm, uncontrolled arrhythmias;
  • Contraindication to muscle biopsy: acquired or innate haemostasis disorders, anticoagulant treatment or double anti-platelet aggregation; contraindication to lidocaine: known hypersensitivity, patients with recurrent porphyrias;
  • Presence of a concomitant muscle pathology, innate (e.g., genetic myopathy) or acquired (e.g., myositis, progressive cancer);
  • Pregnant or breastfeeding woman;
  • Patient under guardianship or curatorship;
  • Refusal to participate in the study.

Exclusion criteria:

- Hemostasis disorders.

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: Treatment
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Men or women (adults) with a diagnosis of COPD according to GOLD criteria
Procedure: Exercise training

Patients will undergo an exhaustive respiratory and muscular check-up (including quadridipital muscle biopsies) at inclusion and at the end of the respiratory rehabilitation program (a minimum of 20 sessions at a rate of 2 to 3 sessions per week for 8 to 12 weeks).

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in single-cell gene expression profile of muscle satellite cells after pulmonary rehabilitation
Time Frame: Day 1 (baseline, Visit 1) and Week 10 (± 2 weeks; Visit 2)

Intra-individual comparison of messenger RNA (mRNA) expression in muscle satellite cells isolated from quadriceps muscle biopsies collected before and after the pulmonary rehabilitation programme. Satellite cells will be isolated and analysed using single-cell and single-nucleus RNA sequencing. The outcome is the change in the gene-expression profile, including differentially expressed genes and associated molecular signalling pathways, between baseline and the end of rehabilitation.
Day 1 (baseline, Visit 1) and Week 10 (± 2 weeks; Visit 2)

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

University Hospital, Bordeaux

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Pauline HENROT, University Hospital, Bordeaux

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)

November 15, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

March 15, 2030

Study Completion (Estimated)

March 15, 2030

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

October 16, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 2, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

November 6, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

November 6, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 2, 2026

Last Verified

October 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • CHUBX 2026/005
  • 2026-A00609-42 (Other Identifier: French National Agency for Safety of Medicines and Health Products)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

The data is available from Dr HENROT . An email can be sent to her so that she can contact the data manager and owner, the Bordeaux University Hospital. The data can be made available after contractual agreement.

IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type

  • STUDY_PROTOCOL
  • ICF
  • CSR

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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