Breath of fresh air: new MRI could spot lung rejection before It's too late
NCT ID NCT07046910
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests whether a special MRI using inhaled xenon gas can detect early signs of rejection in lung transplant patients. Researchers will compare MRI images with lung tissue samples and breathing tests in 60 participants. The goal is to find a safer, non-invasive way to diagnose rejection early and prevent long-term graft failure.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Hyperpolarized Xenon-129 gas (inhaled contrast agent for MRI)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this MRI method could allow doctors to detect lung transplant rejection earlier and more accurately, potentially improving treatment and survival.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-phase study (60 participants) focused on diagnosis, not treatment. The MRI technique may not prove reliable enough for routine use, and results may not apply to all transplant patients.
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 60 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
-
Apr 2019
- Expected to finish
-
Mar 2029
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 80 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: * All subjects must be willing to participate and undergo the procedure, and be managed as outpatients * HXe MRI-specific Inclusion * All patients who successfully underwent a lung transplant at the University of Virginia * Followed by the medical lung transplant team for the post-lung transplant rejection surveillance program at the University of Virginia * a clinical diagnosis of lung transplant within the past 12 months * absence of any significant allograft dysfunction/rejection at the time of the 12-month surveillance bronchoscopy * the ability to understand a written informed consent form and comply with the requirements of the study. * have an acceptable pre-bronchoscopy pulmonary function test: FEV1\>45% before use of any bronchodilator * Must have acceptable pre-procedural screening studies. * Complete Blood Count: normal WBC, Hgb, and PLT * PT: Normal \< 1.2 * Basic Metabolic Panel: Normal 1. Scenario 1 (two visits): Standard bronchoscopy with Normal MRI results and without a diagnosis of acute rejection after bronchoscopy. 2. Scenario 2 (two visits): Navigational bronchoscopy with abnormal MRI result but without a diagnosis of acute rejection after bronchoscopy by clinical pathology. 3. Scenario 3 (three or four visits): Navigational bronchoscopy with abnormal MRI result and a diagnosis of acute rejection after bronchoscopy by clinical pathology at the first visit, the second visit, or both visits. 4. Scenario 4 (one visit): Subjects who previously signed Part 2 Substudy corresponding to the First HXe MRI visit of the Part 3 Substudy (6 or 12 month evaluation). They will be asked to join the Part 3 Substudy to undergo a 24-month follow-up evaluation, including MRI and bronchoscopy, as described for Scenarios 1, 2, or 3. Exclusion Criteria: <!-- --> 1. Unable to Consent 2. Continuous oxygen use at home. 3. Blood oxygen saturation of less than 92% as measured by pulse oximetry on the day of imaging. 4. FEV1 percent predicted less than 25%. 5. Pregnancy or lactation. 6. Claustrophobia, inner ear implants, aneurysms or other surgical clips, metal foreign bodies in the eye, pacemakers, or other contraindications to MR scanning. Subjects with any implanted device that cannot be verified as MRI compliant will be excluded. 7. Chest circumference greater than that of the xenon MR and/or helium coil. The circumference of the coil is approximately 42 inches. 8. History of congenital cardiac disease, chronic renal failure, or cirrhosis. 9. Inability to understand simple instructions or to hold still for approximately 10 seconds. 10. History of respiratory infection within 2 weeks prior to the MR scan 11. History of MI, stroke, and/or poorly controlled hypertension. 12. Failure to complete study-related procedures 13. Unavailability of a reliable communication network and contacts for follow-up with the second in-house backup contact 14. Patient actively smokes. 15. Before 48 hours, any event being considered to be too risky to preclude surveillance bronchoscopy: SaO2 \<90%, \>16 puffs/24 hours of short-acting β-agonist (SABA), worsening symptoms prompting the use of any inhalers, FEV1 \< 45% before using a bronchodilator. 16. acute or chronic renal failure 17. uncontrolled coronary artery disease or congestive heart failure; uncontrolled diabetes mellitus; uncontrolled hypertension, liver disease; history of neurologic diseases, including stroke, any disease concerning fibrotic processes. 18. Pregnant females will be excluded 19. Claustrophobic or too large to fit into the available MR chest RF coils. \-
Get updates
Get notified about this study
Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Lung transplant rejection 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
-
University of Virginia
RECRUITINGCharlottesville, Virginia, 22908, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Massive lung transplant study seeks 2,600 patients to unlock better care
- Mini cryoprobe may sharpen lung rejection detection in transplant patients
- Inhaled cyclosporine aims to halt lung transplant rejection
- New hope for lung transplant patients: drug may slow chronic rejection
- Blood test could replace painful biopsies for lung transplant patients
- Breathing in a special gas reveals hidden lung damage in transplant patients