Comparing 4 approaches for frontotemporal dementia
Official title: A Study to Evaluate the Safety and Effect of AVB-101, a Gene Therapy Product, in Subjects With a Genetic Sub-type of Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD-GRN)
A Phase 1/2 Open-Label, Ascending Dose, Multicenter Study to Evaluate the Safety and Preliminary Efficacy of AVB-101 Administered by Bilateral Intrathalamic Infusion in Subjects With Frontotemporal Dementia With Progranulin Mutations (FTD-GRN)
Interventions
Intrathalamic AAV.PGRN administration
One-time MRI-guided stereotaxic infusion of AAV.PGRN into the brain
Intrathalamic AVB-101
AVB-101 is made from an adeno-associated virus, serotype 9 (AAV9). AAVs are small viruses that are naturally occurring and do not cause illness or infection on their own. AVB-101 has been modified to contain a copy of the correct (non-mutated) GRN gene, plus some other genetic material to enable the GRN gene to function inside neurons (cells within the brain). AVB-101 has also been modified so that it cannot divide and make new copies of itself (known as 'replication'), which means that it cannot cause disease or a large immune response in your body.
Canadian Sites (1)
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Eligibility Criteria
See who this study is looking for14 criteria
The trial’s own eligibility text, word for word from the registry. Only the trial site can say who takes part.
Inclusion
- +Male or female, 30 to 75 years of age
- +Carriers of a pathogenic GRN mutation
- +FTD as evidenced by CDR + NACC FTLD global score of 0.5, 1.0, or 2.0
- +Presence of 1 or more of the criteria for diagnosis of possible bvFTD or PPA
- +Able and willing to comply with all procedures and the study visit schedule
- +Able and willing to give written informed consentInformed consentThe process of being told what taking part involves, then choosing freely.Read more → prior to study participation, and agree to designate a legal representative to act on their wishes to continue participation should they lose capacity to consent at some point during the study OR If, in the InvestigatorPrincipal investigatorThe doctor or researcher responsible for running the study at a site.Read more →'s opinion, the subject lacks capacity to consent, written informed consent of their legal representative must be obtained in accordance with local laws, regulations, and/or customs. In countries where local laws, regulations, and/or customs do not permit subjects who lack capacity to consent to participate in this study, these subjects will not be enrolledEnrolmentThe number of participants a study plans to include, or has included.Read more →
- +An identified, informed study partner who is able and willing to support the participant in the study and to provide assessments of the participant during the study
Exclusion
- −Severe dementia, defined as CDR + NACC FTLD global score of 3.0, or other symptoms that preclude the ability to comply with study procedures and/or pose unacceptable safety risk to the subject
- −Any concurrent disease that may cause cognitive impairment unrelated to mutations in the GRN gene, such as other causes of dementia, neurosyphilis, hydrocephalus, stroke, small vessel ischemic disease, uncontrolled hypothyroidism, or vitamin B12 deficiency
- −Clinically significant abnormality on MRI at ScreeningScreeningThe checks done before joining, to see whether a study fits.Read more → considered to be a contraindication to Intrathalamic infusion
- −Surgically significant pattern of brain atrophy on MRI at Screening that interferes with planned neurosurgical trajectory
- −Previous treatment with any gene or cell therapy
- −Previous treatment with any investigational medicinal product (IMP) within 60 days or 5 half-lives (whichever is longer) prior to study drug treatment
- −Concomitant disease, any clinically significant laboratory abnormality, or treatment which, in the opinion of the InvestigatorPrincipal investigatorThe doctor or researcher responsible for running the study at a site.Read more →, may pose an unacceptable safety risk to the participant or interfere with study conduct or the participant's ability to comply with study procedures including neurosurgical administration under anesthesia
In plain language
Assembled directly from this trial’s registry record. Every sentence traces to a field below — nothing here is generated or interpreted.
What this study is
This study is testing a treatment for a condition.
Phase 1Phase 1The earliest stage of human testing, in a small group, focused on safety.Read more →/2 — a combined study that starts with early safety and continues into what the treatment does.
What is being given or done in this study: Intrathalamic AAV.PGRN administration, Intrathalamic AVB-101.
From the trial registry
Built from these fields:
- designModule.designInfo.primaryPurpose
- designModule.phases
- armsInterventionsModule.interventions[].name
How the study is run
Groups are assigned by the study team using set rules, rather than by chance.
This study is open-labelOpen-labelEveryone knows which treatment is being given — nothing is hidden.Read more →: everyone knows which treatment is being given, including you and the study team.
From the trial registry
Built from these fields:
- designModule.designInfo.allocation
- designModule.designInfo.maskingInfo.masking
Is there a placebo?
This study does not list a placeboPlaceboA dummy treatment with no active medicine, used for comparison.Read more → group.
There are 4 groups in this study.
From the trial registry
Built from this field:
- armsInterventionsModule.armGroups[].type
Who the study is looking for
The study lists an age range of 30 years to 75 years.
The study is open to people of any sex.
The study does not accept healthy volunteersHealthy volunteerSomeone without the condition being studied who takes part anyway.Read more →.
These are the criteria the study lists. Only the trial siteTrial siteA hospital or clinic where a study is actually run.Read more → can decide whether someone can take part.
From the trial registry
Built from these fields:
- eligibilityModule.minimumAge
- eligibilityModule.maximumAge
- eligibilityModule.sex
- eligibilityModule.healthyVolunteers
How big and how long
The study aims to enrol about 18 people.
The study is currently expected to finish around March 2030.
The main measurement is taken over: Up to week 26.
From the trial registry
Built from these fields:
- designModule.enrollmentInfo.count
- statusModule.completionDateStruct.date
- outcomesModule.primaryOutcomes[].timeFrame
What the study measures
Number and incidence of AEs and SAEs — measured over Up to week 26.
Change from baselineBaselineYour starting measurements, taken before treatment begins.Read more → in the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) — measured over Up to week 12.
Incidence of treatment emergent suicidal ideation or behavior — measured over 26 week initial, 5-year total follow-up periodFollow-upContinued check-ins after the treatment part is finished.Read more →.
Incidence of treatment-emergent clinically significant abnormalities in clinical examination findings — measured over 5-year total follow-up period.
The study lists 2 further main measurements.
From the trial registry
Built from these fields:
- outcomesModule.primaryOutcomes[].measure
- outcomesModule.primaryOutcomes[].timeFrame
Source: NCT06064890 on ClinicalTrials.gov. The full registry text is further down this page — this summary never replaces it.
Not medical advice. What do these terms mean?
What is being tested — in plain terms
About Intrathalamic AAV.PGRN administrationProcedure
One-time MRI-guided stereotaxic infusion of AAV.PGRN into the brain
From the trial registry — its own words, unedited.
What a procedure is here: A surgery, technique or clinical procedure being studied.
Read the full explanation → · in clinical review
About Intrathalamic AVB-101Genetic
AVB-101 is made from an adeno-associated virus, serotype 9 (AAV9). AAVs are small viruses that are naturally occurring and do not cause illness or infection on their own. AVB-101 has been modified to contain a copy of the correct (non-mutated) GRN gene, plus some other genetic material to enable the GRN gene to function inside neurons (cells within the brain). AVB-101 has also been modified so that it cannot divide and make new copies of itself (known as 'replication'), which means that it cannot cause disease or a large immune response in your body.
From the trial registry — its own words, unedited.
What a genetic is here: A gene-based treatment — such as gene transfer or gene editing — being studied.
Read the full explanation → · in clinical review
Common questions
Answered from this trial’s registry record. Where the record doesn’t say, these answers say so rather than filling the gap.
Am I eligible for this trial?
Only the trial siteTrial siteA hospital or clinic where a study is actually run.Read more → can decide whether someone can take part. Concord cannot make that determination, and neither can any tool that has not examined you.
What the study lists: an age range of 30 years to 75 years.
The full inclusionInclusion criteriaThe things you must have or be for a study to consider you.Read more → and exclusion criteriaExclusion criteriaThe things that would prevent someone from taking part.Read more → are published on this page, exactly as the study team wrote them.
The useful next step is to bring this trial to your doctor. Answering a few questions first gives them something concrete to review.
From the trial registry
- eligibilityModule.minimumAge
- eligibilityModule.maximumAge
- eligibilityModule.eligibilityCriteria
Is there a placebo?
This study does not list a placeboPlaceboA dummy treatment with no active medicine, used for comparison.Read more → group.
From the trial registry
- armsInterventionsModule.armGroups[].type
Would I know which treatment I am getting?
This study is open-labelOpen-labelEveryone knows which treatment is being given — nothing is hidden.Read more →: everyone knows which treatment is being given, including you and the study team.
Groups are assigned by the study team using set rules, rather than by chance.
From the trial registry
- designModule.designInfo.maskingInfo.masking
- designModule.designInfo.allocation
Who can join?
The study lists an age range of 30 years to 75 years.
It is open to people of any sex.
It does not accept healthy volunteersHealthy volunteerSomeone without the condition being studied who takes part anyway.Read more →.
Only the trial siteTrial siteA hospital or clinic where a study is actually run.Read more → can confirm whether a particular person can take part.
From the trial registry
- eligibilityModule.minimumAge
- eligibilityModule.maximumAge
- eligibilityModule.sex
- eligibilityModule.healthyVolunteers
How long would this take?
The study's main measurement is taken over: Up to week 26.
The study as a whole is currently expected to finish around 2030-03-21.
How long any one person takes part can differ from the study length. The study team can tell you what the schedule looks like in practice.
From the trial registry
- outcomesModule.primaryOutcomes[].timeFrame
- statusModule.completionDateStruct.date
How many people are taking part?
The study aims to enrol about 18 people.
From the trial registry
- designModule.enrollmentInfo.count
Where is this happening?
This study lists one location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Sites can open and close during a study, so confirm with the team before travelling.
From the trial registry
- trial_locations
About This Trial
The goal of this clinical study is to learn about an investigational gene therapy product called AVB-101, which is designed to treat a disease called Frontotemporal Dementia with Progranulin Mutations (FTD-GRN). FTD-GRN is an early-onset form of dementia, a progressive brain disorder that affects behavior, language and movement. These symptoms result from below normal levels of a protein called progranulin (PGRN) in the brain, which leads to the death of nerve cells (neurons), affecting the brain's ability to function. The main questions that the study aims to answer are: 1. Is a one-time treatment with AVB-101 safe for patients with FTD-GRN? 2. Does a one-time treatment with AVB-101 restore PGRN levels to at least normal levels? 3. Could AVB-101 work as a treatment to slow down or stop progression of FTD-GRN? In this study there is no placebo (a dummy pill or treatment used for comparison purposes), so all participants will receive a one-time treatment of AVB-101 delivered directly to the brain, with follow-up assessments for 5 years.
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See if this trial could fit youThis page is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Clinical trial eligibility can only be determined by the trial site after proper screening. Trial information is sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov and may not reflect the most current status. Always consult your healthcare provider before making decisions about clinical trial participation.