Could a common drug tame a rare brain artery disorder?
NCT ID NCT07634120
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This pilot trial tests whether sirolimus, an anti-inflammatory drug, can reduce artery wall swelling in people with vertebrobasilar dolichoectasia (VBD), a condition where arteries at the base of the brain become enlarged and twisted. Twelve participants will take sirolimus daily for 6 months, and doctors will use advanced 5T MRI scans to track changes. The goal is to see if the drug can calm inflammation and possibly slow disease progression.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Sirolimus (an oral drug that calms inflammation)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a treatment to slow or stop the progression of vertebrobasilar dolichoectasia, a rare artery condition.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small pilot study with only 12 people, so results may not apply widely. It is also early-stage and may not show clear benefit.
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 12 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Jun 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- 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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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. Age≥18 years, any gender; 2. Patients with VBD confirmed by DSA/CTA/MRA; 3. No history of VBD rupture and no surgical treatment for VBD; 4. mRS\<4; 5. Positive plasma SGK1; 6. History of posterior circulation infarction or accompanied by VBD-related symptoms/signs; 7. Currently and in the future, need to take antiplatelet and statin drugs simultaneously, or currently and in the future, do not need to take antiplatelet and statin drugs; 8. Capable of signing an informed consent form with the accompaniment and understanding of a guardian. Exclusion Criteria: 1. History of malignant tumors; 2. Pregnancy or lactation; 3. Sirolimus allergy; 4. Hydrocephalus requiring urgent surgical intervention or respiratory failure requiring life support treatment; 5. Abnormal hepatic and/or renal function (serum transaminase \> 40 U/L; serum creatinine \> 110 μmol/L); and/or abnormal white blood cells/platelets (white blood cells count \< 3.5 × 10⁹/L or \> 9.5 × 10⁹/L; platelets count \< 100 × 10⁹/L or \> 300 × 10⁹/L); 6. History of immunosuppressive therapy; 7. Acute cerebral infarction within the last month or definite high signal on DWI indicating acute or subacute cerebral infarction; 8. Acute stage of intracranial hemorrhage as indicated by CT; 9. History of VBD rupture or surgery; 10. Presence of acute active infection (such as severe bacterial, viral or fungal infection); 11. Uncontrolled diabetes (HbA1c≥7%); 12. History of liver or lung transplantation; 13. Presence of organic heart disease; 14. History of arteriovenous thrombosis; 15. Patients taking only antiplatelet drugs or only statin drugs; 16. Patients taking or needing to take CYP3A4 inhibitors (ketoconazole, itraconazole, voriconazole, clarithromycin, erythromycin, telithromycin, ritonavir, atazanavir, diltiazem, verapamil, cyclosporine, amiodarone, sildenafil, grapefruit juice, etc.) or CYP3A4 inducers (rifampicin, rifabutin, phenobarbital, phenytoin, carbamazepine, dexamethasone, St. John's wort, etc.); 17. Currently participating in other clinical studies; 18. Presence of contraindications for MRI examination; 19. Other situations not suitable for inclusion.
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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
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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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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Huashan Hospital, Fudan University
Shanghai, Shanghai Municipality, 200040, China
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.