NCT06065670

Assessing Changes in Multi-parametric MRI in Patients With Acute Demyelinating Lesions Taking Clemastine Fumarate as a Myelin Repair Therapy

A Randomized, Double-Blind, Delayed Treatment, Placebo-Controlled Trial to Assess the Changes in Multi-parametric MRI in Patients With Acute Demyelinating Lesions Taking Clemastine Fumarate as a Myelin Repair Therapy

• Status: Not Yet Recruiting
• Phase: Phase 1 / Phase 2
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 44 (estimated)
• Sponsor: University of California, San Francisco · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 55 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

The clinical trial is intended to assess for clinical evidence of Clemastine Fumarate as a myelin repair therapy in patients with acute inflammatory injury-causing demyelination as measured by multi-parametric MRI assessments. No reparative therapies exist for the treatment of acute demyelinating lesions. Clemastine fumarate was identified along with a series of other antimuscarinic medications as a potential remyelinating agent using the micropillar screen (BIMA) developed at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). Following in vivo validation, an FDA IND exemption was granted to investigate clemastine for the treatment of multiple sclerosis in the context of chronic optic neuropathy. That pilot study was recently completed and is the first randomized control trial documenting efficacy for a putative remyelinating agent for the treatment of MS. The preselected primary efficacy endpoint (visual evoked potential) was met and a strong trend to benefit was seen for the principal secondary endpoint assessing function (low contrast visual acuity). That trial number was 13-11577. This study seeks to follow up on that study and examine clemastine fumarate's protective and reparative effects in the context of acute demyelinating brain lesions as imaged by multi-parametric MRI assessments. The investigators will be assessing the effects of clemastine fumarate as a remyelinating therapy and assessing its effect on MRI metrics of lesions found in patients with a confirmed diagnosis of acute inflammatory injury-causing demyelination. In addition to using conventional multi-parametric MRI assessments, this study will also evaluate a new MRI technique called Ultrashort Echo Time (UTE) MRI to assess the effects of clemastine fumarate as a remyelinating therapy of acute lesions found in patients with a confirmed diagnosis of acute inflammatory injury-causing demyelination and compare it to the other assessments.

Detailed description

Treatments capable of remyelination are a major unmet need for demyelinating diseases that involve myelin damage, loss, or dysfunction in the central nervous system (CNS). Acute demyelination of axons is believed to be injurious to neurons and serves as a major contributor to irreversible cell loss that underlies permanent disability. Available treatments are primarily immunosuppressing, without directly addressing or fully preventing axonal degeneration and disability. Clemastine fumarate was identified along with a series of other antimuscarinic medications as a potential remyelinating agent using the micropillar screen (BIMA) developed at UCSF. The screen demonstrated that clemastine promoted the differentiation of the endogenous oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) into mature myelinating oligodendrocytes. Following in vivo validation, an FDA investigational new drug (IND) exemption was granted to investigate clemastine for the treatment of multiple sclerosis in the context of chronic optic neuropathy. That pilot study was recently completed and is the first randomized control trial documenting efficacy for a putative remyelinating agent for the treatment of MS. The preselected primary efficacy endpoint (visual evoked potential) was met and a strong trend to benefit was seen for the principal secondary endpoint assessing function (low contrast visual acuity). That trial number was 13-11577. This clinical trial is intended to assess magnetic resonance imaging evidence of remyelination using Clemastine Fumarate in patients with acute demyelinated lesions. Specifically speaking, the primary objective will assess various multi-parametric MRI sequences on the corpus callosum region, a region that animal models studies identified as a promising candidate for assessing remyelination. The aim was to help define the potential for MRI in measuring remyelination in acute lesions, determine the optimal sequences and location for measuring myelin recovery, and help guide trial design for future remyelinating trials. Finally, the study is designed to assess tolerability and clinical efficacy of Clemastine using outcomes intended to assess for (a) adverse events and (b) recovery of myelin.

Conditions

• Demyelinating Diseases
• Demyelination; Corpus Callosum
• Multiple Sclerosis Brain Lesion
• Multiple Sclerosis Acute and Progressive
• Clinically Isolated Syndrome, CNS Demyelinating

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DRUG	Clemastine Fumarate	12 or 8 mg Clemastine tablet. Clemastine fumarate was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of allergic rhinitis (seasonal allergies) in 1977 and was approved for over-the-counter marketing in 1992. Clemastine is not FDA approved as a remyelinating therapy
DRUG	Placebo	Matched sugar tablet

Timeline

• Start date: 2026-09-15
• Primary completion: 2028-10-30
• Completion: 2028-10-30
• First posted: 2023-10-04
• Last updated: 2026-03-11

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States

Regulatory

• FDA-regulated drug study