HDClarity: a Multi-site Cerebrospinal Fluid Collection Initiative to Facilitate Therapeutic Development for Huntington's Disease (HDClarity)
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ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02855476 |
Recruitment Status :
Recruiting
First Posted : August 4, 2016
Last Update Posted : May 20, 2022
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Condition or disease |
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Huntington's Disease |
All participants will attend a screening and sampling visit. During the screening visit, medical history, and clinical and phenotypic data will be obtained. Participants who meet the eligibility requirements are willing to continue in the study, will return for a sampling visit during which ≤20ml CSF and approximately 50ml blood will be collected following an overnight fast: blood will be obtained via venipuncture and CSF will be obtained via lumbar puncture using local anaesthetic if required. Some participants may be invited to return for an Optional Repeat Sampling Visit approximately 4-8 weeks later.
When participants have completed the Initial Sampling Visit, and Optional Repeat Sampling Visit, if relevant, their participation in HDClarity will be considered completed. However, participants may be invited to participate in the study multiple times, allowing at least 11 months between Screening Visits.
Study Type : | Observational |
Estimated Enrollment : | 1200 participants |
Observational Model: | Cohort |
Time Perspective: | Prospective |
Official Title: | HDClarity: a Multi-site Cerebrospinal Fluid Collection Initiative to Facilitate Therapeutic Development for Huntington's Disease |
Actual Study Start Date : | January 2017 |
Estimated Primary Completion Date : | May 1, 2023 |
Estimated Study Completion Date : | May 1, 2023 |

Group/Cohort |
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Early Pre-manifest HD
Huntington's disease gene expansion carriers who not have clinical diagnostic motor features of HD
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Late Pre-manifest HD
Huntington's disease gene expansion carriers who not have clinical diagnostic motor features of HD, but who have a higher burden of disease compared to the Early Pre-manifest HD cohort
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Early Manifest HD
Huntington's disease gene expansion carriers who have clinical diagnostic motor features of HD defined as Stage I or Stage II HD
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Moderate Manifest HD
Huntington's disease gene expansion carriers who have clinical diagnostic motor features of HD defined as Stage III HD
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Late Manifest HD
Huntington's disease gene expansion carriers who have clinical diagnostic motor features of HD defined as Stage IV-V HD
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Controls
Have no known family history of HD; or have known family history of HD but have been tested for the huntingtin gene glutamine codon (CAG) expansion and are not at genetic risk for HD.
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- Number of CSF samples banked [ Time Frame: Up to 3 years ]The primary aim of HDClarity is the generation of a CSF sample repository to facilitate therapeutic development for HD.
- Huntingtin protein level in cerebrospinal fluid [ Time Frame: Up to 3 years ]The concentration of mutant and total huntingtin level in CSF will be quantified and its relationship to disease severity assessed
- Kynurenine metabolites in cerebrospinal fluid [ Time Frame: Up to 3 years ]The concentration of metabolites of the kynurenine pathway in CSF will be quantified and their relationship to disease severity assessed
Biospecimen Retention: Samples Without DNA

Choosing to participate in a study is an important personal decision. Talk with your doctor and family members or friends about deciding to join a study. To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contacts provided below. For general information, Learn About Clinical Studies.
Ages Eligible for Study: | 21 Years to 75 Years (Adult, Older Adult) |
Sexes Eligible for Study: | All |
Accepts Healthy Volunteers: | Yes |
Sampling Method: | Non-Probability Sample |
Inclusion Criteria:
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All eligible participants:
a. Are 21-75 years of age, inclusive; and b. Are capable of providing informed consent or have a legal representative authorized to give consent on behalf of the participant; and c. Are capable of complying with study procedures, including fasting, blood sampling and lumbar puncture; and d. Are participating in the Enroll-HD study; and e. Will have had an Enroll-HD visit within two months of the Screening Visit.
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For the Healthy Control group, participants eligible are persons who meet the following criteria:
a. Have no known family history of HD; or b. Have known family history of HD but have been tested for the huntingtin gene CAG expansion and are not at genetic risk for HD (CAG < 36).
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For the Early Pre-manifest HD group, participants eligible are persons who meet the following criteria:
a. Do not have clinical diagnostic motor features of HD, defined as Unified Huntington's Disease Rating Scale (UHDRS) Diagnostic Confidence Score < 4; and b. Have CAG expansion ≥ 40; and c. Have burden of pathology score, computed as (CAG - 35.5) × age, < 250.
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For the Late Pre-manifest HD group, participants eligible are persons who meet the following criteria:
- Do not have clinical diagnostic motor features of HD, defined as Unified Huntington's Disease Rating Scale (UHDRS) Diagnostic Confidence Score < 4; and
- Have CAG expansion ≥ 40; and
- Have burden of pathology score, computed as (CAG - 35.5) x age, ≥ 250.
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For Early Manifest HD group, participants eligible are persons who meet the following criteria:
- Have clinical diagnostic motor features of HD, defined as UHDRS Diagnostic Confidence Score = 4; and
- Have CAG expansion ≥ 40; and
- Have Stage I or Stage II HD, defined as UHDRS Total Functional Capacity (TFC) scores between 7 and 13 inclusive.
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For Moderate Manifest HD group, participants eligible are persons who meet the following criteria:
- Have clinical diagnostic motor features of HD, defined as UHDRS Diagnostic Confidence Score = 4; and
- Have CAG expansion ≥ 40; and
- Have Stage III HD, defined as UHDRS TFC scores between 3 and 6, inclusive.
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For Advanced Manifest HD group, participants eligible are persons who meet the following criteria:
- Have clinical diagnostic motor features of HD, defined as UHDRS Diagnostic Confidence Score = 4; and
- Have CAG expansion ≥ 40; and
- Have Stage IV HD, defined as UHDRS TFC scores between 0 and 2, inclusive.
Exclusion Criteria:
1. For all groups, participants are ineligible if they meet any of the following exclusion criteria:
- Use of investigational drugs or participation in a clinical drug trial within 30 days prior to Sampling Visit; or
- Current intoxication, drug or alcohol abuse or dependence; or
- If using any medications or nutraceuticals, the use of inappropriate (e.g., non prescribed) or unstable dose within 30 days prior to Sampling Visit; or
- Significant medical, neurological or psychiatric co-morbidity likely, in the judgment of the Site Principal Investigator, to impair participant's ability to complete study procedures, or likely to reduce the utility of the samples and data for the study of HD; or
- Needle phobia, frequent headache, significant lower spinal deformity or major surgery; or
- Antiplatelet or anticoagulant therapy within the 14 days prior to Sampling Visit, including but not limited to: aspirin, clopidogrel, dipyridamole, warfarin, dabigatran, rivaroxaban and apixaban; or
- Clotting or bruising disorder; or
- Screening blood test results more than 10% outside the lab's normal range for the following: white cell count, neutrophil count, lymphocyte count, hemoglobin (Hb), platelets, prothrombin time (PT) and activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), or any combination of blood test results that the Site Principal Investigator deems to be of clinical significance; or
- Screening blood test results for C-reactive protein (CRP)>2× upper limit of normal; or
- Predictable non-compliance as assessed by Site Principal Investigator; or
- Inability or unwillingness to undertake any of the study procedures; or
- Exclusion during history or physical examination, final decision to be made by the Site Principal Investigator; including but not limited to:
i. any reason to suspect abnormal bleeding tendency, e.g. easy bruising, petechial rash; or ii. any reason to suspect new focal neurological lesion, e.g. new headache, optic disc swelling, asymmetric focal long tract signs; or iii. any other reason that, in the clinical judgment of the Site Principal Investigator, it is felt that lumbar puncture performed per this protocol and associated manuals is unsafe without brain imaging.
m. Serious Adverse Event (SAE) related to study procedures during or following any previous HDClarity Sampling Visit (if applicable), or SAE related to any other lumbar puncture in the previous 12 months.

To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT02855476
Contact: Katarzyna Schubert, PhD | hdclarity-cc@enroll-hd.org | ||
Contact: Gail Owen, PhD | +44 1273 640 688 | g.owen@ucl.ac.uk |

Principal Investigator: | Edward J Wild, MA, MB BChir, MRCP, PhD | University College, London |
Documents provided by Edward Wild, University College, London:
Study Data/Documents: Study Protocol


Responsible Party: | Edward Wild, Dr, University College, London |
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: | NCT02855476 |
Other Study ID Numbers: |
15/0519 |
First Posted: | August 4, 2016 Key Record Dates |
Last Update Posted: | May 20, 2022 |
Last Verified: | May 2022 |
Individual Participant Data (IPD) Sharing Statement: | |
Plan to Share IPD: | Yes |
Plan Description: | The cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and plasma samples collected in this study will be the basis of future biomarker analysis studies. A Scientific Advisory Committee which will decide how the samples will be analysed. |
Huntington Disease Basal Ganglia Diseases Brain Diseases Central Nervous System Diseases Nervous System Diseases Dementia Chorea Dyskinesias |
Movement Disorders Heredodegenerative Disorders, Nervous System Neurodegenerative Diseases Genetic Diseases, Inborn Cognition Disorders Neurocognitive Disorders Mental Disorders |