Can 'Zombie Cell' drugs strengthen aging bones?
NCT ID NCT06018467
First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This Phase 2 trial tests whether a combination of three drugs—dasatinib, quercetin, and nicotinamide riboside—can improve bone health in 120 adults aged 60-90 with osteopenia or osteoporosis. The goal is to see if these 'senolytic' drugs can clear aging cells from the skeleton and reduce bone loss. Participants take the drugs for a short period, and researchers measure changes in bone turnover markers.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Dasatinib, Quercetin, and Nicotinamide Riboside
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could point toward a new way to treat osteoporosis by targeting aging cells in the bone, potentially reducing fracture risk.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early Phase 2 trial with only 120 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. The combination therapy may cause side effects or fail to improve bone health significantly.
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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About 120 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Sep 2023
- Expected to finish
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Apr 2026
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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60 to 90 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: * Men and women (menopause \> 5 years and FSH and LH in the postmenopausal range) aged 60-90 years with increased fracture risk according to WHO 10 years absolute Fracture Risk Assessment Tool (FRAX) 1. Osteopenia (ICD10 DM858A) based on a T-score ≤ -1 to -2.5 at the total hip/femoral neck, or lumbar spine, with or without a fragility fracture at any time (excluding hip and vertebral fractures within the last 2 years) 2. osteoporosis (ICD10 DM819) based on a T-score between ≥-3 and ≤ -2.5, which includes candidates suitable for conventional osteoporosis therapies, but who prefer to participate in the trial, despite being candidates for conventional osteoporosis therapy, or candidates which cannot be treated with conventional therapies due to contraindications * Ability to provide informed consent Exclusion Criteria: * DXA of hip or spine not possible e.g., due to a prosthesis * Inability to provide fasting blood samples * Primary hyperparathyroidism * Vitamin D deficiency (\<50 nM) (re-test after substitution acceptable) * Known disorders affecting bone metabolism, e.g., uncontrolled thyrotoxicosis, chronic kidney disease defined as eGFR \<30 or liver dysfunction, rheumatism, celiac disease/malabsorption, hypogonadism, severe COPD, hypopituitarism, Cushing's disease, uncontrolled diabetes (HbA1c \> 58 mmol/mol). * Antiresorptive or bone anabolic drugs for the last 2 years (5 years if treated with zoledronic acid) * Concomitant treatments known to influence bone metabolism e.g., glucocorticoids (systemic treatments), anabolic steroids, etc. * Subjects taking the following other drugs if they cannot be held for at least 2 days before and during administration of D+Q: digoxin, lithium, all statins, repaglidine, bosentan, gemfibrozil, olmesartan, enalapril, valsartan, methotrexate, corticosteroids, eluxadoline, eltrombopag, nitroglycerin, pioglitazone, glyburide, enzalutamide, ezetimibe, colchicine, imatinib, cyclosporine, tacrolimus, sirolimus, carbamazepine, flecainide, phenytoin, phenobarbital, rifampicin, theophylline, warfarin, heparin, clopidogrel, celecoxib, desipramine, thioridazine, venlafaxine, tizanidine, atomoxetine, voriconazole, citalopram, diazepam, escitalopram, propranolol, clozapine, cyclobenzaprine, mexiletine, olanzapine, ondansetron * Subjects taking medications that are sensitive to substrates or substrates with a narrow therapeutic range for CYP3A4, CYP2C8, CYP2C9, or CYP2D6 or strong inhibitors or inducers of CYP3A4 (e.g., cyclosporine, tacrolimus or sirolimus). If antifungals are necessary from an infectious disease perspective, then they will be allowed only if the levels are therapeutic. * Subjects taking proton pump inhibitors and unwilling to discontinue therapy for two days before and during the study drug dosing periods. * Anti-arrhythmic medications known to cause QTc prolongation * Tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy * Subjects with an abnormal Complete Blood Count (clinically insignificant changes would be acceptable based on the judgement of the investigators) * Subjects on antiplatelet agents (Clopidogrel; Dipyridamole + ASA; ASA, Ticagrelor; Prasugrel; Ticlopidine or other) who are unable or unwilling to reduce or hold therapy prior to and during the study drug dosing periods and collection of bone biopsies. Subjects may continue their previous regimen between study drug dosing periods. * Known allergy to dasatinib, quercetin, or nicotinamide riboside * Subjects taking the following antimicrobial agents: Aminoglycosides, Azole antifungals (fluconazole, miconazole, voriconazole, itraconazole), Macrolides (clarithromycin, erythromycin), antivirals (nelfinavir, indinavir, saquinavir, ritonavir, elbasvir/grazoprevir) * Presence of any condition the Investigator believes would place the subject at risk or would preclude the subject from successfully completing all aspects of the trial e.g., heart failure, malignancy etc. * QTc \>470 msec * Inability to take oral medication * The study will exclude subjects with inability to speak and understand Danish and with inability to cooperate * BMI ≥ 40
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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.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Odense University Hospital
Odense, 5000, Denmark
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.