Can 'Zombie Cell' cleaners help frail cancer survivors walk faster?
NCT ID NCT04733534
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests two short-term drug regimens—dasatinib plus quercetin, or fisetin alone—in 110 adult survivors of childhood cancer who are frail. The goal is to see if these 'senolytic' drugs can clear aging cells, improve walking speed, and reduce frailty. It is a first-of-its-kind pilot study, so results will guide future larger trials.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Dasatinib plus Quercetin, or Fisetin alone
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could point toward a treatment that reduces frailty and improves physical function in adult survivors of childhood cancer.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-phase pilot study without a placebo group, so results may not be definitive. The drugs may cause side effects or fail to improve frailty.
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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Phase 2
Tests whether the treatment actually works, and watches for side effects, in a larger group.
- Participants
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110 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Jun 2022
- Expected to finish
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Dec 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 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
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: * Participant in SJLIFE and \> 5 years from diagnosis. * ≥18 years of age. * Frail (2 of 4 objectively measured Fried criteria adapted,(excluding self-reported fatigue as a criteria), including abnormal walking speed; muscle strength; activity level; and muscle mass). See Section 5 for details. * CD3+ T lymphocytes: p16INK4A detected at \<34 cycles by RT PCR. * Agrees to use contraception as Dasatinib is teratogenic. * Female participant has a negative pregnancy test. * QTc \<450 milliseconds in electrocardiogram. * Able to take oral medications. Exclusion Criteria: * Currently has HIV, Hepatitis B/C, invasive fungal infection * Anemia or as per clinical judgement. * Hypersensitivity to study drugs * New/active malignancy/taking chemotherapy and/or radiation except non-melanoma skin cancers * Currently taking medications that inhibit or induce CYP3A4 or that are sensitive to substrates or substrates with a narrow therapeutic range for CYP2C8, CYP2C9, or CYP2D6. * Taking anticoagulants or antimicrobial agents * Currently taking Quercetin or Fisetin * Pregnant or nursing at time of enrollment/during the study * Impaired cognition or motor performance due to congenital defects * Currently participating in another research intervention to aid walking speed or other measures of frailty including muscle strength; low activity; muscle mass or exhaustion/fatigue * Participant is a Non-English Speaker * Uncontrolled pleural/pericardial effusion or ascites * Subjects on anticoagulant or antiplatelet agents (Warfarin, Clopidogrel \[Plavix\]; Dipyridamole + Aspirin \[Aggrenox\]; Ticagrelor \[Brilintal\]; Prasugrel \[Effient\]; Ticlopidine \[Ticlid\]; or other) who are unable or unwilling to reduce or hold therapy prior to and during the 2-3 day drug dosing. Subjects may continue their previous regimen after drug dosing is complete. * Cognitive impairment defined by IQ \<80 * Diagnosis of a psychotic disorder * Laboratory tests as indicated or as per clinical judgement * Severe hepatic dysfunction with ALT/AST \> 3 times upper limit of normal. * Total bilirubin \> 2 times upper limit of normal. * eGFR \<25 ml/min/1.73m2 or as per clinical judgement. * Hemoglobin \< 7 g/dl; white blood cell count ≤2,000/mm3 (≤2.0 x 109/L) or ≥20,000/mm3 (≥20 x 109/L); platelet count ≤40,000/μL (≤40 x 109/L); absolute neutrophil count ≤1 x 109/L; lymphocyte count \<0.3 x 109/L at screening as a marker of poor nutrition * Fasting glucose \>300. * Participant is unable to ambulate
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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.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
Memphis, Tennessee, 38105, United States
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