Scientists seek samples to unlock blood disorder secrets
NCT ID NCT03937817
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Oct 02, 2026 · Updated 23 times
Summary
This study collects biological samples like blood, saliva, and urine from 300 adults aged 18-70, both with and without blood disorders such as sickle cell disease and thalassemia. The goal is to use these samples for research to better understand these conditions and related diseases like malaria. No treatment is given; this is purely for knowledge gathering.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Participants
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About 300 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Sep 2019
- Expected to finish
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Mar 2029
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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A government research agency
The lead sponsor is the US National Institutes of Health.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
Who is studied
Participants may be recruited from other NIH protocols, the NIH Clinical Research Healthy Volunteer Program, patient recruitment websites for the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, community outreach, ResearchMatch, and clinicaltrials.gov.
- Ages
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18 to 70 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
* PARTICIPANT INCLUSION CRITERIA: 1. Aged 18-70 years. 2. Able to provide informed consent. 3. Willing to allow biological samples to be stored for future research. 4. Willing to provide one or more of the following tissues: saliva, urine, blood, blood waste products, adipose tissue, bronchial brushing, and/or BAL samples. 5. Willing to allow genetic testing on collected biological samples. PARTICIPANT EXCLUSION CRITERIA: * Exclusion Criteria for All Participants The following exclusion criteria apply to all participants who will provide any of the following samples in-person at the NIH CC: saliva, urine, blood, blood waste products, adipose tissue, bronchial brushing, and/or BAL samples: 1. Pregnancy. 2. Positive testing for hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus, or HIV (as determined by serum screening tests or relevant viral quantitative studies.) 3. Any condition that requires active medical intervention or monitoring to avert serious danger to the individual s health or wellbeing. 4. Any condition that, in the opinion of the PI, contraindicates participation in this study. * Additional Exclusion Criteria for Individuals Giving Blood for Research 1\. Hemoglobin \< 10 g/dL for healthy female volunteers, \< 12 g/dL for healthy male volunteers, or \< 6 g/dL for participants with sickle cell disease or other chronic anemias. -Additional Exclusion Criteria for Adipose Tissue Biopsy Individuals meeting any of the following criteria will be excluded from undergoing adipose tissue biopsy. If the participant no longer meets any of these criteria at a later time, then they will be allowed to undergo this procedure. 1. Currently taking anticoagulation medication. 2. Platelets \< 100,000/microL. 3. History of keloid formation (or irregular fibrous tissue formed at the site of a scar or injury). 4. History of adverse reactions to lidocaine or other local anesthetics. 5. Any condition that, in the opinion of the PI, contraindicates this procedure. Use of aspirin (or acetylsalicylic acid) and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are permitted. -Additional Exclusion Criteria for Bronchoscopy Individuals meeting any of the following criteria will be excluded from undergoing bronchoscopy. If the participant no longer meets any of these criteria at a later time, then they will be allowed to undergo this procedure. 1. Prothrombin time (PT) \> 1 second above the upper limit of normal (ULN) or international normalized ratio \> 1.3. 2. Partial thromboplastin time (PTT) \> 1 second above ULN. 3. Platelets \< 150,000/microL. 4. Currently taking anticoagulation medication. 5. Use of aspirin within 2 weeks of the bronchoscopy or NSAIDs within 2 days of the bronchoscopy. 6. Diagnosis of a pulmonary disorder (eg, asthma, chronic bronchitis, cystic fibrosis, or bronchiectasis). 7. Respiratory tract infection within the last 4 weeks. 8. History of adverse reactions to systemic and/or local anesthetics that will be used for this procedure. 9. History of cigarette smoking within the past 3 months. 10. History of chronic opioid use. 11. History of drug or alcohol abuse. 12. Post-bronchodilator forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) \< 40% of predicted or pre-bronchodilator FEV1 \< 35% of predicted. 13. Active bronchospasm on physical examination. 14. History of lidocaine allergy. 15. Any condition that, in the opinion of the PI, contraindicates this procedure. Co-enrollment guidelines: Participants may be co-enrolled in other studies. However, the PI must be notified of co-enrollment.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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National Institutes of Health Clinical Center
RECRUITINGBethesda, Maryland, 20892, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Eye scans map how sickle cell disease damages vision
- Can a daily pill tame sickle cell crises?
- Blood tests may reveal how much pain sickle cell patients feel
- Radioactive tracer lights up malaria parasites in the body
- Why some sickle cell patients face higher clot risk: clues in the blood
- Can a vitamin B3 pill and a DNA-Targeting drug raise protective hemoglobin in sickle cell disease?