Could a blood gel patch up anal fistulas without surgery?
NCT ID NCT05641844
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests a new treatment called RD2 Ver.02, a gel made from a patient's own blood, for healing anal fistulas. About 110 adults with certain types of fistulas will receive either the gel or a saltwater placebo after the fistula is cleaned and stitched closed. The main goal is to see if the gel helps the fistula heal better and with fewer complications over 6 months, and if it stays healed after a year.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- RD2 Ver.02 (a gel made from the patient's own blood)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a simple, non-surgical way to heal anal fistulas and reduce the chance of them coming back.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early-stage trial with only 110 people, so results may not apply to everyone. The treatment might not heal the fistula or could cause infection.
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 110 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
-
Jan 2024
- Expected to finish
-
Jun 2028
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
-
A company
The lead sponsor is a pharmaceutical, biotech, or medical-device company.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
-
18 years and older
- 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: * Subject is ≥18 years of age * Subject has a transsphincteric or long intersphincteric anal fistula (\>1.5 cm), with a seton in place for a minimum of 1 month, deemed eligible for primary or repeat fistula repair by anorectal advancement flap or LIFT: Anterior, posterior or lateral fistula, first or recurrent, at any position circumferentially, with one external opening and one internal opening. * Subjects is unable or unwilling to receive invasive surgical procedures, anorectal advancement flap or LIFT procedure, and is opting for minimally invasive technique of anal fistula management (i.e., fistula tract debridement and suturing of internal opening). * 2.1.4 Prior to enrollment, during the preceding 3 months from Treatment Visit, subject must undergo a pelvic MRI to evaluate eligibility criteria unable to be assessed clinically. * Female subjects who are capable of conceiving and all males capable of insemination must use an acceptable form of contraception in order to participate in the study and for 6 months following study procedure (acceptable forms of contraception include condoms for males and contraceptive pills or IUDs for women) Exclusion Criteria: * Subject who has a life expectancy of less than 24 months. * Subjects who are cognitively impaired and have a healthcare proxy or those who are cognitively impaired and clearly do not understand the contents of the informed consent form. * Cannot withdraw blood in the required amount (up to 15 mL). * Women who are pregnant or currently breast feeding. * Subject is currently receiving (i.e., within the past 30 days) or scheduled to receive systemic steroids (more than 10mg per day). * Multiple fistula tracts, as confirmed on pelvic MRI * Short fistula tract that in the surgeon's opinion are amenable to fistulotomy * Active infection including perianal infection, and/or any active systemic or local infection. * Presence of a perirectal abscess on pelvic MRI * Presence of dominant luminal active Crohn's disease, validated by recent colonoscopy from preceding 12 months, requiring immediate therapy * Rectal and/or anal stenosis and / or active proctitis, if this means a limitation for any surgical procedure. * Known allergies or hypersensitivity to any of the following: antibiotics including but not limited to penicillin, streptomycin, gentamicin, aminoglycosides; Human Serum Albumin (HSA); Dulbecco Modified Eagle's Medium (DMEM); materials of bovine origin; local anaesthetics or gadolinium (MRI contrast); Known hypersensitivity to reagents and components of RD2 Ver.02 including calcium gluconate, Kaolin or citrate and ethylene oxide. * Contraindication to MRI scan, (e.g., due to the presence of pacemakers, hip replacements, or severe claustrophobia). * Known coagulation problems, abnormal thrombocytes level or if heparin is given intravenously. Subjects who are taking Coumadin, Aspirin, Plavix (Clopidogrel), Eliquis or Pradaxa will not be excluded. * Patients with increased risk for the surgical procedure or major alteration of any of the following laboratory tests: 1. Serum Creatinine levels \>1.5 times the upper limit of normality (ULN) 2. Total bilirubin \>1.5 times the ULN (unless predominantly non conjugated due to documented history of Gilbert's syndrome) 3. AST/ ALT \>3.0 times the ULN 4. Hemoglobin \<10.0 g/dL 5. Platelets \<150.0 x109/L 6. Albuminemia \<3.0 g/dL. * Patients who do not wish to or cannot comply with study procedures. * Patients currently receiving or having received within 12 months prior to enrolment into this clinical study, any investigational drug. * Subjects who need surgery in the perianal region for reasons other than fistulas at the time of inclusion in the study, or for whom such surgery is foreseen in this region in the 24 weeks after treatment administration. * Contraindication to the anesthetic procedure. * Subject with a diagnosis of Ulcerative Colitis * Subject with malignancy, undergoing active treatment * Rectovaginal fistula * History of pelvic radiation
Get updates
Get notified about this study
Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Anal fistula 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
9 sites in 2 countries. 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
-
Allegheny Health Network
RECRUITINGPittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15212, United States
-
Brown surgical associates
RECRUITINGProvidence, Rhode Island, 02904, United States
-
Cleveland Clinic
RECRUITINGWeston, Florida, 33331, United States
-
Franciscan Health
RECRUITINGIndianapolis, Indiana, 46237, United States
-
Karen Zaghiyan, M.D
COMPLETEDLos Angeles, California, 90048, United States
-
Lenox Hill Hospital
RECRUITINGNew York, New York, 10075, United States
-
Mayo Clinic
RECRUITINGRochester, Minnesota, 55905, United States
-
Sheba Medical Center
RECRUITINGRamat Gan, Israel
-
UMASS
RECRUITINGWorcester, Massachusetts, 01605, United States
-
University of Chicago
RECRUITINGChicago, Illinois, 60637, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Could emptying the bowel before laser surgery boost fistula healing?
- Antibiotics after abscess drainage may block painful fistula formation
- Laser vs. scalpel: which heals anal fistula faster?
- Stem cell showdown: donor vs. your own fat for Crohn's fistulas
- Herbal capsules aim to ease Post-Surgery constipation without harsh side effects
- Anal fistula surgery showdown: which technique spares continence?