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Fat's secret messengers: could exosomes explain why some obese people stay healthy?

NCT ID NCT05933707

Knowledge-focused Sponsor: Washington University School of Medicine Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now This study
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jul 07, 2026 · Last updated Jul 17, 2026 · Updated 3 times

Summary

This study investigates why some people with obesity develop insulin resistance and related diseases while others remain metabolically healthy. Researchers are examining tiny particles called exosomes, released from fat tissue, which may carry signals that affect how cells respond to insulin. The study involves lean individuals and people with obesity, both metabolically healthy and unhealthy, and will test the effects of these exosomes in lab-grown cells and mice.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
small extracellular vesicles (exosomes)
What this could lead to
If successful, this research could reveal why some people with obesity are protected from type 2 diabetes and heart disease, potentially pointing toward new prevention strategies.
What could go wrong
This is an early-stage observational study in cells and mice, not a treatment trial. Findings may not translate to humans or lead to any therapy.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

About 72 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Started

Jun 2023

Expected to finish

Aug 2028

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

25 to 55 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Accepted

You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.

Show 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.

Inclusion Criteria: * Metabolically healthy lean subjects must have a BMI ≥18.5 and ≤24.9 kg/m²; Subjects with obesity must have a BMI ≥30.0 and ≤50.0 kg/m² * Metabolically healthy lean and people with metabolically healthy obesity must have intrahepatic triglyceride (IHTG) content ≤5%; fasting plasma glucose concentration \<100 mg/dl, 2-hr oral glucose tolerance plasma glucose concentration \<140 mg/dl, hemoglobin A 1C (HbA1c) ≤5.6% and HOMA-IR \<2.5. * People with metabolically unhealthy obesity must have intrahepatic triglyceride (IHTG) content ≥5.6%; HOMA-IR ≥2.5, and HbA1c 5.7%-6.4%, or fasting plasma glucose concentration ≥100 mg/dl, or 2-hr oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) plasma glucose concentration ≥140 mg/dl. Exclusion Criteria: * History of diabetes, liver disease other than NAFLD or other serious diseases, * Consume excessive amounts of alcohol (\>21 units/week for men and \>14 units/week for women), * Take medications that could affect the study outcome measures, engage in regular exercise (\>120 min/week), * Are pregnant or lactating

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Insulin Resistance Obesity obesity disorder Obesity, Metabolically Benign Weight Loss

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Insulin resistance Metabolically healthy obesity Obesity Obesity, metabolically benign

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

  1. The study's own enquiry address

    This study publishes an address for enquiries. See it below .

  2. The places running it

    1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.

  3. The official record

    ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

    Open the record ↗

  4. 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

Study contacts

  • Contact

    Email: •••••@•••••

Locations

  • Washington University School of Medicine

    RECRUITING

    St Louis, Missouri, 63110, United States

    Contact Email: •••••@•••••

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