Inflammatory faCtors AfteR acUte Ischemic Stroke

NCT ID: NCT04412187

Last Updated: 2025-04-04

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

Get a concise snapshot of the trial, including recruitment status, study phase, enrollment targets, and key timeline milestones.

Recruitment Status

RECRUITING

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

36 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2020-07-01

Study Completion Date

2027-12-31

Brief Summary

Review the sponsor-provided synopsis that highlights what the study is about and why it is being conducted.

ICARUS is an interventional single-centre hospital-based cohort study in patients admitted to the stroke unit with an acute ischemic stroke. The aims of the study are to i) define the characteristics and determinants of microglial activation after human stroke, and ii) assess the correlation of microglial activation with circulating inflammatory markers, structural brain changes on neuroimaging, and neurological outcomes.

ICARUS involves serial TSPO-PET imaging along with serial MRI, immune cell profiling in blood, and both clinical and laboratory assessments in 36 patients with acute ischemic stroke caused by a cortical (N=18) or strictly subcortical (N=18) infarct.

In a substudy, the investigators will include 10 independently recruited patients with acute ischemic stroke to assess MRI arterial spin labelling (ASL) sequences as a marker for perfusion measurement of the TSPO tracer.

Detailed Description

Dive into the extended narrative that explains the scientific background, objectives, and procedures in greater depth.

The neuroinflammatory response after ischemic brain injury has been identified as a pathomechanism in ischemic stroke. Stroke induces an activation of microglia in the brain, which lasts over months. However, the characteristics and mechanisms of this microglia activation are insufficiently defined.

Our study hypotheses are (i) that a subpopulation of patients with acute stroke develop prominent microglial activation, and (ii) that patients with extensive microglial activation are more likely to experience poor outcome.

Against this background, the investigators set up the "Inflammatory faCtors AfteR acUte ischemic Stroke (ICARUS)" study as an interventional single-centre hospital-based cohort study. N=36 patients with a cortical (N=18) or strictly subcortical (N=18) acute ischemic stroke will be recruited through the local stroke unit (Department of Neurology, LMU Munich). Study participation involves serial TSPO-PET imaging along with serial MR imaging, immune cell profiling in blood, and both clinical and laboratory assessments. Follow-up assessments at 3 weeks, 3 months, 6 months and 12 months will be conducted at the Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research (ISD) and at the Department of Nuclear medicine, both LMU Munich.

In a substudy, the investigators will include 10 independently recruited patients with acute ischemic stroke to assess MRI arterial spin labelling (ASL) sequences as a marker for perfusion measurement of the TSPO tracer. These patients will receive dynamic PET in addition to the ASL sequences.

Conditions

See the medical conditions and disease areas that this research is targeting or investigating.

Ischemic Stroke

Study Design

Understand how the trial is structured, including allocation methods, masking strategies, primary purpose, and other design elements.

Allocation Method

NA

Intervention Model

SINGLE_GROUP

18 patients with cortical stroke and 18 patients with subcortical stroke
Primary Study Purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Blinding Strategy

NONE

Study Groups

Review each arm or cohort in the study, along with the interventions and objectives associated with them.

TSPO PET imaging

All study participants will receive \[18F\]-GE-180, i.e. TSPO PET imaging to assess microglia activation.

Group Type OTHER

[18F]-GE-180 PET

Intervention Type DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

serial \[18F\]-GE-180 PET imaging to assess microglia activation

3T MRI

Intervention Type DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

serial MR imaging (i) to determine infarct characteristics, (ii) to identify gray and white matter structures connected to the infarct, (iii) to detect incident lesions, and (iv) to quantify longitudinal changes e.g. of cortical thickness

immune cell profiling in blood

Intervention Type DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

Cell-specific cytokine profiles, markers of activation, terminal differentiation as well as cytotoxicity will be assesses using flow cytometry.

Interventions

Learn about the drugs, procedures, or behavioral strategies being tested and how they are applied within this trial.

[18F]-GE-180 PET

serial \[18F\]-GE-180 PET imaging to assess microglia activation

Intervention Type DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

3T MRI

serial MR imaging (i) to determine infarct characteristics, (ii) to identify gray and white matter structures connected to the infarct, (iii) to detect incident lesions, and (iv) to quantify longitudinal changes e.g. of cortical thickness

Intervention Type DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

immune cell profiling in blood

Cell-specific cytokine profiles, markers of activation, terminal differentiation as well as cytotoxicity will be assesses using flow cytometry.

Intervention Type DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

Other Intervention Names

Discover alternative or legacy names that may be used to describe the listed interventions across different sources.

TSPO PET imaging

Eligibility Criteria

Check the participation requirements, including inclusion and exclusion rules, age limits, and whether healthy volunteers are accepted.

Inclusion Criteria

* Age ≥ 50 years
* Acute ischemic stroke (time frame: \<72 hours) as defined by an acute focal neurological deficit in combination with a corresponding infarct as documented by a diffusion weighted imaging (DWI)-positive lesion on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI); presence of an infarct involving the cortex or a strictly subcortical infarct
* Written informed consent prior to study participation
* Willingness to participate in study assessments including follow-up

Exclusion Criteria

* Unwillingness or inability to give written consent
* Prior history of stroke, multiple infarcts, infratentorial infarcts affecting the brain stem or cerebellum
* Known diseases of the CNS other than stroke
* Immunomodulatory therapies within the last 3 months prior stroke
* Chronic inflammatory disease
* Infectious diseases within the last 7 days prior stroke
* Conditions interfering with follow-up such as end-stage malignancy
* Contraindications for MRI or PET (pacemaker, aneurysm clip, cochlear implant etc.)
* Radiation exposure of \> 10mSv per year
* Pregnant or breastfeeding women
* Participation in a clinical trial
Minimum Eligible Age

50 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

Meet the organizations funding or collaborating on the study and learn about their roles.

Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

University Hospital Muenster

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Martin Dichgans

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

Identify the individual or organization who holds primary responsibility for the study information submitted to regulators.

Martin Dichgans

Prof. Dr. Martin Dichgans

Responsibility Role SPONSOR_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Learn about the lead researchers overseeing the trial and their institutional affiliations.

Martin Dichgans, Prof.

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

LMU Munich

Peter Bartenstein, Prof.

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

LMU Munich

Sibylle Ziegler, Prof.

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

LMU Munich

Locations

Explore where the study is taking place and check the recruitment status at each participating site.

Insitute for Stroke and Dementia Research

Munich, Germany, Germany

Site Status RECRUITING

Department of Nuclear Medicine

Munich, , Germany

Site Status RECRUITING

Countries

Review the countries where the study has at least one active or historical site.

Germany

Central Contacts

Reach out to these primary contacts for questions about participation or study logistics.

Martin Dichgans, Prof.

Role: CONTACT

+49 4400 ext. 46019

Anna Kopczak, MD

Role: CONTACT

+49 4400 ext. 46125

Facility Contacts

Find local site contact details for specific facilities participating in the trial.

Martin Dichgans, Prof.

Role: primary

+49 89 4400 ext. 46019

Anna Kopczak, MD

Role: backup

+49 89 4400 ext. 46125

Peter Bartenstein, Prof.

Role: primary

+49 89 4400 ext. 77646

Matthias Brendel, MD

Role: backup

+49 89 4400 ext. 74646

Other Identifiers

Review additional registry numbers or institutional identifiers associated with this trial.

19-428

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

More Related Trials

Additional clinical trials that may be relevant based on similarity analysis.

Atherosclerosis and Acute Ischemic Stroke Study
NCT03685006 ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING