Modified pork could revolutionize Alpha-Gal allergy testing
NCT ID NCT07611435
First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Sep 10, 2026 · Updated 5 times
Summary
This study tests whether specially modified pork (alpha-gal knockout) causes fewer allergic reactions than regular pork in people with alpha-gal syndrome. Each of the 160 participants will eat both types of pork on different days to see which one is safer for diagnosis. The goal is to improve how doctors confirm this red meat allergy.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- alpha-gal knockout pork and wild-type pork
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could provide a safer and more accurate way to diagnose alpha-gal syndrome using a specially modified pork product.
- What could go wrong
- This is a Phase 2 trial with only 160 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. The modified pork may still cause reactions in some people.
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
-
Phase 2
Tests whether the treatment actually works, and watches for side effects, in a larger group.
- Participants
-
About 160 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
-
Sep 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
-
Oct 2032
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
-
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.
- Ages
-
12 to 50 years
- Sex
-
Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
-
Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
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.
Inclusion Criteria: 1. Able to understand and provide informed consent and/or have a parent or guardian able to understand and provide informed consent. Participants 12-17 years old must be able to provide assent 2. Participants who are willing to complete study procedures and follow-up 3. Have clinical history consistent with Alpha-gal Syndrome (AGS) 4. Have alpha-gal-specific Immunoglobin E (IgE) \>= 0.1KU/L at screening 5. Report reaction consistent with AGS within the previous 24 months (prior to enrollment) 6. If with reproductive potential, agree to be abstinent or use an US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved method of birth control for the duration of the study 7. Willing to be trained on the proper use of a device for the self-administration of epinephrine (i.e., autoinjector or intra-nasal spray) and willing to have two doses available for the duration of the study Exclusion Criteria: 1. Unwilling to consume pork (native/wild type or genetically modified to no longer contain alpha-gal) during Double Blind Food Challenge (DBFC) 2. Have underlying health conditions suggesting that participants should not undergo an oral food challenge, including conditions that may be exacerbated by oral food challenge or treatment with epinephrine (e.g., history of ischemic heart disease, uncontrolled asthma, or cardiac arrhythmia) 3. Likely to move away from the study site prior to completion of follow up or do not have regular access to a phone 4. Have a history of severe anaphylaxis in response to pork or alpha-gal ingestion, defined as neurologic compromise or requiring intubation or cardiovascular compromise defined as myocardial infarction or other clinically significant cardiovascular events 5. Unwilling or unable to stop use of medications that may interfere with oral food challenge interpretation, reaction, or treatment for 5 half-lives prior to the challenge (e.g., antihistamines, beta blockers, Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) 6. Have used systemic immunomodulators (including biologics and monoclonal antibody therapy) within 6 months before study entry 7. Have underlying health conditions that may increase the chance of false positive challenges (e.g., inflammatory bowel disease, chronic urticaria, systemic mastocytosis, and mast cell activating syndrome) 8. Have used systemic steroids within 4 weeks of study entry 9. Have used any investigational agent within 6 months of study entry 10. Are on build-up of immunotherapy such as Antigen-based Immunotherapy (AIT), Oral Immunotherapy (OIT), Sublingual Immunotherapy (SLIT), or Epicutaneous Immunotherapy (EPIT) 11. Have reacted to mammalian products with onset of symptoms within 30 minutes of oral ingestion 12. Have current, diagnosed, mental illness or current, diagnosed or self-reported drug or alcohol abuse that, in the opinion of the investigator, would interfere with the participant's ability to comply with study requirements 13. Are pregnant or plan to become pregnant during the course of the study 14. Have past or current medical problems or findings from physical examination or laboratory testing that are not listed above, which, in the opinion of the investigator, may pose additional risks from participation in the study, may interfere with the participant's ability to comply with study requirements, and/or may impact the quality or interpretation of the data obtained from the study
Get updates
Get notified about this study
Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Allergy are added.
Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
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.
-
The places running it
4 sites. The list below names each one and where it is.
-
The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
-
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
-
Arkansas Children's Hospital Research Institute: Department of Pediatrics, Allergy & Immunology
NOT_YET_RECRUITINGLittle Rock, Arkansas, 72202, United States
-
North Carolina Children's Hospital: Department of Pediatrics, Division of Allergy, Immunology and Rheumatology
NOT_YET_RECRUITINGChapel Hill, North Carolina, 27599, United States
-
University of Virginia Health System: Division of Asthma & Immunology
NOT_YET_RECRUITINGCharlottesville, Virginia, 22908, United States
-
Vanderbilt University Medical Center: Division of Pediatric Allergy, Immunology, and Pulmonary Medicine
RECRUITINGNashville, Tennessee, 37232, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Friendly bacteria in a nasal spray might tame Kids' allergies
- Allergy tablets under the tongue may cut hay fever drug use for years, massive real-world study suggests
- Eye insert could ease allergy symptoms for contact lens wearers
- Mystery autumn allergies traced to birch rust?
- AI tool aims to cut allergy misdiagnosis in primary care
- Fish oil for pregnant moms may shield babies from asthma