RNA technology takes on diabetes: first human trial of exenatide nanoparticle injection
NCT ID NCT07347080
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This early-phase trial is testing a single dose of a new type of exenatide injection (CR059) in 9 Chinese adults with type 2 diabetes. The exenatide is delivered using circular RNA wrapped in lipid nanoparticles, a technology similar to some vaccines. The main goal is to check safety and tolerability, while also looking at how the drug moves through the body and affects blood sugar. Because it's a very small, first-in-human study, it's mainly about gathering initial safety data.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- exenatide circular RNA-lipid nanoparticle injection (CR059)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could lead to a new way to deliver exenatide for better blood sugar control in type 2 diabetes.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very early, small trial with only 9 people, so it may not show clear benefits or could have unexpected side effects. Success is far from guaranteed.
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
-
Early phase 1
The earliest testing in people: a first look at safety, in a very small group.
- Participants
-
About 9 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
-
Jan 2026
- Expected to finish
-
Aug 2026
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
-
18 to 65 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: * Chinese male or female, 18≤age≤-65 years . * Diagnosed with T2DM for at least 3 months but less than 5 years, according to the Chinese Diabetes Society's "Chinese Guidelines for the Prevention and Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes (2024 Edition)" diagnostic criteria. * Patients who have failed treatment with diet and exercise alone, or metformin monotherapy, or a stable regimen for 12 weeks of metformin (dose ≥1500 mg/day or maximum tolerated dose ≥1000 mg/day) combined with one of the following oral antidiabetic drugs (or their fixed-dose combinations): sulfonylureas, glinides, alpha-glucosidase inhibitors, SGLT2 inhibitors, or thiazolidinediones (at ≥1/2 the maximum approved dose, or the recommended minimum maintenance dose for SGLT2 inhibitors e.g., empagliflozin 10mg, canagliflozin 100mg). Fasting Plasma Glucose (FPG) must be \<13.0 mmol/L, and 7.5%≤HbA1c ≤ 10.0%. * 18.5 kg/m²≤Body Mass Index (BMI) ≤40.0 kg/m² at screening and enrollment * Subjects have no pregnancy plan from screening until 3 months after the last dose and are willing to use at least one effective method of contraception during the entire trial period until 3 months after the last dose. * Able to understand and willing to sign the informed consent form, and fully understand the trial content, procedures, and potential adverse reactions. * Able to complete the trial according to the protocol requirements. Exclusion Criteria: * Diagnosis of type 1 diabetes, diabetes due to pancreatic injury, or specific types of diabetes due to other diseases (e.g., acromegaly or Cushing's syndrome). * History of acute diabetic complications, such as ketoacidosis or hyperosmolar coma, within 6 months before screening. * Presence of severe chronic diabetic complications (e.g., proliferative diabetic retinopathy, severe diabetic neuropathy, diabetic foot, etc.) within 6 months before screening, deemed by the investigator as unsuitable for participation. * Allergic constitution (allergy to ≥2 types of drugs or foods) or keloid tendency, or clear history of drug allergy, or investigator suspects potential allergy to the investigational product or its components or similar drugs. * Fasting plasma glucose \<3.9 mmol/L at screening or before enrollment, and/or history of ≥2 episodes of severe hypoglycemia or recurrent symptomatic hypoglycemia within 6 months before screening. * History or presence of Cushing's syndrome, polycystic ovary syndrome, or other hereditary endocrine diseases, or obesity secondary to factors such as hormones. * Use of weight-control medications or weight-loss surgery within 3 months before screening, or weight fluctuation exceeding 5% within 3 months. * Clinically significant abnormal TSH, FT3, or FT4 at screening, or previous diagnosis of thyroid dysfunction, deemed unsuitable by the investigator. * Personal or family history of multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2; personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma; or thyroid nodules classified as C-TIRADS category 4 or higher on ultrasound. * History or presence of malignant tumors (except cured basal cell carcinoma or cervical carcinoma in situ). * History of thrombotic diseases (e.g., deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, stroke), known bleeding diathesis or coagulation dysfunction, major thrombotic event within 6 months, or any coagulation parameter ≥1.5x ULN, or clinically significant abnormal coagulation function deemed unsuitable by the investigator. * Long-term use (over 1 month) or current use of anticoagulants (e.g., warfarin, rivaroxaban, dabigatran) or antiplatelet drugs (e.g., aspirin, clopidogrel) before screening. * Diagnosis of significant cardiovascular or cerebrovascular disease within 6 months before screening, including but not limited to acute stroke, transient ischemic attack (TIA), acute coronary syndrome, coronary heart disease, heart failure, arrhythmia requiring treatment, etc. * History of gout or gout attack within 6 months before screening or before enrollment. * Untreated or poorly controlled hypertension (systolic BP \>160 mmHg and/or diastolic BP \>100 mmHg) at screening or before enrollment. Patients on antihypertensive therapy must have a stable regimen and dose for 1 month. If BP criteria are not met at screening/enrollment, one re-test is allowed. Exclusion if both readings fail. * Heart rate at rest (after at least 10 min) \<50 bpm or \>100 bpm at screening or before enrollment. One re-test is allowed. Exclusion if both readings fail. * PR interval \>210 ms and/or QRS complex duration \>120 ms, and/or QTcF \>450 ms at rest at screening or before enrollment. If criteria not met, repeat ECG twice on the same day; use the average of 3 measurements for judgment. * History of clinically significant chronic or acute exacerbating respiratory diseases, including but not limited to asthma, COPD (excluding obstructive sleep apnea). * History of severe gastrointestinal disease (e.g., active ulcer, gastroparesis, pyloric obstruction, inflammatory bowel disease) within 6 months before screening or before enrollment, or gastrointestinal surgery, or long-term use of drugs directly affecting GI motility due to chronic GI disease, deemed unsuitable by the investigator. * Severe renal disease or estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate (eGFR) \<60 mL/min/1.73m² (CKD-EPI formula) at screening or before enrollment. * Serum amylase or lipase \>3x Upper Limit of Normal (ULN) at screening or before enrollment, or history/known chronic pancreatitis, acute pancreatitis, pancreatic injury. * History of cholelithiasis, acute or chronic cholecystitis (except those with no residual biliary stones post-treatment or post-cholecystectomy without sequelae, deemed eligible by the investigator). * Severe dyslipidemia, with LDL-C ≥4.40 mmol/L or triglycerides (TG) ≥5.65 mmol/L at screening or before enrollment. If on lipid-lowering therapy, regimen and dose must be stable for 1 month. * Clear history of psychiatric disorders (e.g., depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder) within 2 years before screening. * Major surgery within 1 month before screening, or presence of severe infection or active inflammation. * History of blood donation \>400 mL, transfusion, or blood loss within 90 days before screening or before enrollment. * Any of the following laboratory abnormalities at screening or before enrollment: 1. ALT or AST \>2x ULN; 2. Total Bilirubin \>1.5x ULN; 3. Calcitonin ≥35 pg/mL; 4. Hemoglobin \<110 g/L (female) or \<120 g/L (male); 5. Clinically significant abnormal platelet count; 6. Clinically significant abnormal white blood cell or neutrophil count; * Use of any approved or unapproved weight-affecting drugs or products within 3 months before screening, including but not limited to orlistat, phentermine-topiramate, naltrexone-bupropion, systemic corticosteroids, antidepressants (SSRIs, SNRIs, tricyclics, tetracyclics), antipsychotics/sedatives (e.g., imipramine, amitriptyline, mirtazapine, paroxetine, phenelzine, chlorpromazine, thioridazine, clozapine, olanzapine, valproic acid, lithium), etc. * Use of any DPP-4 inhibitor, or GLP-1, GIP, GCG receptor agonists, or FGF-21 within 6 months before screening. * History of bariatric surgery (except liposuction/abdominoplasty \>1 year prior). * Participation in any drug or medical device clinical trial within 3 months before screening or before enrollment (except screen failures). * Positive serology for HBsAg, anti-HCV antibody, anti-TP antibody, or anti-HIV antibody at screening. * History of drug abuse and/or alcoholism (weekly alcohol intake \>14 units) within 6 months before screening * Positive urine drug screen or alcohol breath test at screening. * Pregnant or lactating females, or subjects using oral contraceptives. * Intolerance to venipuncture or history of needle syncope, blood-injury syncope. * Any other physiological, psychological, or situational condition deemed by the investigator as unsuitable for trial participation.
Get updates
Get notified about this study
Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for T2DM 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
1 site. 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
-
The First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Science and Technology
RECRUITINGLuoyang, Henan, 310015, China
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Can teaching people with diabetes to care for their gums also help their blood sugar?
- A Finger-Prick at the pharmacy could uncover silent diabetes
- New diabetes pill HRS9531 enters Mid-Stage trial – could it help control blood sugar?
- New diabetes drug HM15275 enters Mid-Stage trial
- Sleep and menopause may harm diabetic women's hearts, study warns
- Could this pill protect kidneys in diabetes?