Denna sida har översatts automatiskt och översättningens korrekthet kan inte garanteras. Vänligen se engelsk version för en källtext.

MicroRNAs as Biomarkers in First Episode Schizophrenia (MIRFEST)

10 juli 2026 uppdaterad av: Juan Gallego Angel, Northwell Health

MicroRNAs in Neural-Derived Extracellular Vesicles as Biomarkers in First Episode Schizophrenia

This study investigates whether tiny molecules called microRNAs (miRNAs), found in special brain-derived "packages" (neural-derived extracellular vesicles, or NDEs) that travel from the brain into the blood, can serve as helpful indicators (biomarkers) for schizophrenia. Currently, doctors diagnose schizophrenia and monitor treatment primarily through clinical interviews, which can be slow and imprecise. This study will work with 80 individuals recently diagnosed with first-episode schizophrenia who are beginning treatment with either aripiprazole or risperidone, along with 80 healthy volunteers. Blood samples will be collected from all participants. For individuals with schizophrenia, blood will be drawn at the beginning of treatment and again after 12 weeks. By comparing patterns of brain-derived miRNAs in the blood of patients versus healthy volunteers, and by observing changes in these miRNAs during treatment, the researchers hope to discover whether these molecules can help diagnose schizophrenia more quickly and predict how well a treatment will work. If successful, this study will provide initial evidence that these miRNAs could become valuable new tools leading to earlier, more accurate diagnoses and more personalized treatment selection.

Studieöversikt

Status

Rekrytering

Betingelser

Intervention / Behandling

Detaljerad beskrivning

Schizophrenia is a significant psychiatric illness characterized by psychosis, social withdrawal, and cognitive difficulties leading to impaired daily functioning. Diagnosis and treatment assessment remain heavily reliant on clinical interviews, which are subjective and lack objective biological indicators. Previous research has established evidence of miRNA dysregulation in schizophrenia through genome-wide association studies, post-mortem brain tissue analysis, and biological fluid studies. A more recent and promising approach involves measuring miRNAs specifically contained within neural-derived extracellular vesicles (NDEs) isolated from plasma. These NDEs carry brain-specific miRNA cargo and can be identified in peripheral blood, offering a less invasive approach compared to cerebrospinal fluid or brain tissue.

This study addresses the identified knowledge gap by investigating plasma NDE miRNAs as novel diagnostic and treatment response biomarkers specifically in first-episode schizophrenia (FES). The focus on FES participants minimizes confounding effects associated with long-term medication use and extended illness duration. The study employs a 12-week mechanistic clinical trial design with clinical assessments, neurocognitive testing (MATRICS), and blood collection for NDE miRNA sequencing at baseline and 12 weeks. MiRNA sequencing will be performed using Illumina NovaSeq6000 following NDE isolation via L1/NCAM antibody immunoprecipitation. Statistical analysis includes differential expression analysis using DESeq, Binary Elastic Net Regression for feature selection, and machine learning models (random forests, gradient boosting, SVM) for predictive performance assessment.

Studietyp

Interventionell

Inskrivning (Beräknad)

160

Fas

  • Inte tillämpbar

Kontakter och platser

Det här avsnittet innehåller kontaktuppgifter för dem som genomför studien och information om var denna studie genomförs.

Studiekontakt

Studera Kontakt Backup

Studieorter

Deltagandekriterier

Forskare letar efter personer som passar en viss beskrivning, så kallade behörighetskriterier. Några exempel på dessa kriterier är en persons allmänna hälsotillstånd eller tidigare behandlingar.

Urvalskriterier

Åldrar som är berättigade till studier

  • Barn
  • Vuxen

Tar emot friska volontärer

Ja

Beskrivning

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. Acute first episode of psychosis with DSM-5 diagnosis of schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, schizophreniform disorder, or psychosis Not Otherwise Specified (NOS)
  2. Current positive symptoms rated ≥4 (moderate) on one or more of these BPRS items: hallucinatory behavior, unusual thought content, grandiosity, conceptual disorganization
  3. Early phase of illness as defined by having taken antipsychotic drugs for a cumulative lifetime period ≤2 weeks
  4. Age 15 to 40
  5. Receiving or about to start naturalistic treatment with either aripiprazole or risperidone
  6. Full capacity to consent

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Participant voluntarily withdraws consent at any given time during the study
  • Loss of capacity to consent during the study
  • Treating psychiatrist determines that the participant requires an antipsychotic medication other than aripiprazole or risperidone due to adverse effects, poor tolerability, poor response, or any other reason
  • The investigator, sponsor, independent safety monitor, or DSMB determines discontinuation is necessary to protect the participant
  • Pregnancy is discovered during the study

Studieplan

Det här avsnittet ger detaljer om studieplanen, inklusive hur studien är utformad och vad studien mäter.

Hur är studien utformad?

Designdetaljer

  • Primärt syfte: Diagnostisk
  • Tilldelning: Icke-randomiserad
  • Interventionsmodell: Parallellt uppdrag
  • Maskning: Ingen (Open Label)

Vapen och interventioner

Deltagargrupp / Arm
Intervention / Behandling
Experimentell: First-Episode Schizophrenia - Aripiprazole/Risperidone
FES participants receiving naturalistic treatment with aripiprazole or risperidone as prescribed by their treating psychiatrist. Blood samples collected at baseline and week 12 for NDE miRNA analysis.
Diagnostiskt test: Plasma NDE miRNA Sequencing
Blood samples collected at baseline and week 12 for isolation of neural-derived extracellular vesicles (NDEs) from plasma using L1/NCAM antibody immunoprecipitation, followed by small RNA sequencing on Illumina NovaSeq6000 to identify differentially expressed miRNAs.
Genetisk: Whole Genome Sequencing
Single baseline blood sample collected for DNA extraction and whole genome sequencing to analyze genetic variation associated with psychosis and treatment response.
Aktiv komparator: Healthy volunteers
Healthy volunteers providing a single baseline blood sample for NDE miRNA analysis comparison.
Diagnostiskt test: Plasma NDE miRNA Sequencing
Blood samples collected at baseline and week 12 for isolation of neural-derived extracellular vesicles (NDEs) from plasma using L1/NCAM antibody immunoprecipitation, followed by small RNA sequencing on Illumina NovaSeq6000 to identify differentially expressed miRNAs.
Genetisk: Whole Genome Sequencing
Single baseline blood sample collected for DNA extraction and whole genome sequencing to analyze genetic variation associated with psychosis and treatment response.

Vad mäter studien?

Primära resultatmått

Resultatmått
Åtgärdsbeskrivning
Tidsram
Diagnostic performance of plasma NDE miRNA panel
Tidsram: Baseline (Week 0)
Sensitivity, specificity, and Area Under the Curve (AUC) of a panel of plasma NDE miRNAs in differentiating acutely psychotic First-Episode Schizophrenia (FES) participants from Healthy Volunteers (HV), assessed using Binary Elastic Net Regression and machine learning models.
Baseline (Week 0)
Predictive performance of baseline plasma NDE miRNA levels for treatment response
Tidsram: Baseline NDE miRNAs predicting response at Week 12
Predictive performance (AUC, accuracy, sensitivity, specificity) of baseline plasma NDE miRNA levels for clinical response to antipsychotic treatment (aripiprazole or risperidone). Treatment response defined as all 4 BPRS Thought Disturbance factor items below psychotic level (<4) for 2 consecutive ratings with concomitant CGI ratings of much/very much improved.
Baseline NDE miRNAs predicting response at Week 12

Samarbetspartners och utredare

Det är här du hittar personer och organisationer som är involverade i denna studie.

Sponsor

Northwell Health

Utredare

  • Huvudutredare: Juan Gallego, MD, Northwell Health

Studieavstämningsdatum

Dessa datum spårar framstegen för inlämningar av studieposter och sammanfattande resultat till ClinicalTrials.gov. Studieposter och rapporterade resultat granskas av National Library of Medicine (NLM) för att säkerställa att de uppfyller specifika kvalitetskontrollstandarder innan de publiceras på den offentliga webbplatsen.

Studera stora datum

Studiestart (Beräknad)

1 juli 2026

Primärt slutförande (Beräknad)

1 maj 2031

Avslutad studie (Beräknad)

1 maj 2031

Studieregistreringsdatum

Först inskickad

4 juni 2026

Först inskickad som uppfyllde QC-kriterierna

10 juli 2026

Första postat (Faktisk)

14 juli 2026

Uppdateringar av studier

Senaste uppdatering publicerad (Faktisk)

14 juli 2026

Senaste inskickade uppdateringen som uppfyllde QC-kriterierna

10 juli 2026

Senast verifierad

1 juli 2026

Mer information

Termer relaterade till denna studie

Nyckelord

Ytterligare relevanta MeSH-villkor

Andra studie-ID-nummer

  • R01MH143042 (U.S.S. NIH-anslag/kontrakt)

Plan för individuella deltagardata (IPD)

Planerar du att dela individuella deltagardata (IPD)?

NEJ

Läkemedels- och apparatinformation, studiedokument

Studerar en amerikansk FDA-reglerad läkemedelsprodukt

Nej

Studerar en amerikansk FDA-reglerad produktprodukt

Nej

Denna information hämtades direkt från webbplatsen clinicaltrials.gov utan några ändringar. Om du har några önskemål om att ändra, ta bort eller uppdatera dina studieuppgifter, vänligen kontakta register@clinicaltrials.gov. Så snart en ändring har implementerats på clinicaltrials.gov, kommer denna att uppdateras automatiskt även på vår webbplats .

Prenumerera