Could a common Weight-Loss drug shield the brain? early trial launches
NCT ID NCT06171152
First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This pilot study tests whether liraglutide (Saxenda), a weight-loss drug, can raise levels of a brain-protective protein called BDNF in 30 people with multiple sclerosis, long-COVID, or leukemia who are overweight and have memory or concentration problems. Participants will inject liraglutide daily for about 21 weeks while researchers track BDNF levels. The study is currently suspended and is very early-stage, so it aims to gather clues rather than prove a treatment works.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- liraglutide (Saxenda)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a way to protect the brain in people with multiple sclerosis, long-COVID, or leukemia who also struggle with weight and thinking problems.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very early, small pilot study (30 people) that is currently suspended. It only measures a blood marker (BDNF), not actual cognitive improvement, so even positive results may not lead to a treatment.
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
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Early phase 1
The earliest testing in people: a first look at safety, in a very small group.
- Participants
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About 30 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jan 2024
- Expected to finish
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Oct 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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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
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18 to 40 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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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. Patients with MS, acute leukemia in remission, or long-COVID and subjective symptoms of cognitive impairment a. Patients with acute leukemia must be in remission for at least 6 months but may be on maintenance therapy * Must have BMI greater than or equal to 27 along with one weight related condition such as hypertension, insulin resistance, or dyslipidemia or with BMI greater than or equal to 30 alone * Ages ≥18 but \<40 years old * Adequate organ function as defined by the following: 1. Creatinine ≤1.5 mg/dL 2. Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine transaminase (ALT) ≤5 x upper limit normal (ULN) and bilirubin ≤1.5 mg/dL * Participants must be at least 2 months from major surgery, radiation therapy, or participation in other investigational trials, and must have recovered from clinically significant toxicities related to these prior treatments. * Female participants of childbearing potential must have negative results for a pregnancy test at baseline testing time point * Must be willing to use appropriate contraception * The effects of liraglutide on the developing human fetus are unknown. For this reason, women of child-bearing potential must agree to use adequate contraception (hormonal or barrier method of birth control; abstinence) prior to study entry and for the duration of study participation. Should a woman become pregnant or suspect she is pregnant while she is participating in this study, she should inform her treating physician immediately. Men treated or enrolled on this protocol must also agree to use adequate contraception prior to the study, for the duration of study participation, and 8 weeks after completion of liraglutide administration. * Ability to understand and the willingness to sign a written informed consent document. Exclusion Criteria: * History of multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2 (MEN2) * Personal or family history of thyroid cancer * Previous or current diagnosis of acute and/or chronic pancreatitis * Any prior GLP-1 agonist therapy * Poorly controlled diabetes mellitus with an indication for liraglutide (Victoza) for its management * Previous or current diagnosis of fibromyalgia * Participants who are receiving any other investigational agents. * Participants with a "currently active" second malignancy other than non-melanoma skin cancers. Patients are not considered to have a "currently active" malignancy if they have completed therapy and are free of disease for ≥ 3 years. * Participants with known brain metastases should be excluded from this clinical trial because of their poor prognosis and because they often develop progressive neurologic dysfunction that would confound the evaluation of neurologic and other adverse events. * History of allergic reactions attributed to compounds of similar chemical or biologic composition to liraglutide. * Uncontrolled intercurrent illness including, but not limited to, ongoing or active infection, symptomatic congestive heart failure, unstable angina pectoris, cardiac arrhythmia, or psychiatric illness/social situations that would limit compliance with study requirements. * Pregnant women are excluded from this study because liraglutide is a Category X agent with the potential for teratogenic or abortifacient effects. Because there is an unknown but potential risk for adverse events in nursing infants secondary to treatment of the mother with liraglutide, breastfeeding should be discontinued prior to enrollment in the trial. * Participants with congenital cognitive dysfunction or severe cognitive dysfunction unrelated to diagnosis of leukemia, Multiple Sclerosis, or COVID.
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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
The full official record for this study. This one lists no contact details, but it is the first place any would appear.
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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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University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center
Chicago, Illinois, 60637, United States
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