Gene therapy SPOT-03 enters human testing for duchenne muscular dystrophy
NCT ID NCT07188012
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This early-phase trial tests a gene therapy called SPOT-03 in 9 boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), aged 2 to 8. The main goal is to see if the treatment is safe and tolerable. Researchers will also check if it increases dystrophin protein levels in muscles, which could help slow the disease.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- SPOT-03 (gene therapy)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could point toward a treatment that helps boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy produce dystrophin protein, potentially slowing muscle damage.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very early, small trial (9 participants) focused on safety, not effectiveness. Gene therapies can have side effects, and it may not work as hoped.
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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Early phase 1
The earliest testing in people: a first look at safety, in a very small group.
- Participants
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About 9 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Aug 2025
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2026
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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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
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2 to 7 years
- Sex
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Male participants only
- 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. According to the requirements of the region/country and/or IRB/IEC, the patient and/or legal guardian have signed a written informed consent form and are aware of all relevant study content. 2. Boys aged ≥ 2 years to \< 8 years and capable of walking independently for at least 10 meters. 3. The medical history includes clinical diagnosis of DMD and confirmed Duchenne mutations using validated genetic testing (MLPA and whole genome sequencing). 4. Able to tolerate muscle biopsy under anesthesia and have no contraindications to biopsy. 5. Heart, liver, lung, and kidney functions are sufficient: 1. The left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) should be ≥ 50%; 2. Forced vital capacity (FVC) \> 50% of the expected value, and do not require nighttime ventilation; 3. Patient's glomerular filtration rate (GFR)\>30 mL/min/1.73 m2 Exclusion Criteria: 1. Complications other than DMD that may cause muscle weakness and/or motor dysfunction. 2. There are severe intellectual disabilities (such as severe autism, severe cognitive impairment, and severe behavioral disorders) that, according to the investigator's judgment, can affect the study. 3. Hospitalization for respiratory failure within 8 weeks prior to screening. 4. Asthma or underlying lung diseases that are poorly controlled, such as bronchitis, bronchiectasis, emphysema, or recurrent infectious pneumonia that investigator believes may affect respiratory function. 5. Severe uncontrolled heart failure (NYHA III-IV), including any of the following conditions: 1. Intravenous administration of diuretics or positive inotropic drugs is required within 8 weeks prior to screening. 2. Hospitalization due to worsening heart failure or arrhythmia within 8 weeks prior to screening. 6. Abnormal laboratory values considered clinically significant: 1. GGT \> 3 × upper limit of normal 2. Bilirubin ≥ 3.0 mg/dL 3. Creatinine ≥ 1.8 mg/dL 4. Hemoglobin \< 8 or \> 18 g/dL 5. White blood cell count \> 18,500/μL 7. Arrhythmias that require anti-arrhythmic treatment. 8. Subjects who are undergoing immunosuppressive therapy. 9. Has used other gene therapy, investigational drugs, or any treatment aimed at increasing dystrophin expression. 10. Subjects with a history of major surgeries within 12 weeks prior to the initial infusion or planning to undergo major surgeries (such as scoliosis surgery) during this study. 11. Subjects who are allergic to investigational products or local aesthetic drugs or have a history of severe allergies or genetic allergic reactions. 12. Within 6 months prior to the initial infusion, the subjects are exposed to another investigational drug or have participated in an intervention clinical trial. 13. Subjects with positive hepatitis B core antibody or hepatitis C antibody or HIV antibody during screening. 14. Investigator believes that the presence of any other serious diseases, medical conditions, or chronic drug treatment needs can pose unnecessary risks to gene transfer.
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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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Shanghai Children's Medical Center
RECRUITINGShanghai, Shanghai Municipality, China
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