Limb AmputationNCT01293214
Vascularized Composite Allotransplantation for Multiple Extremity Amputations
A study testing Limb transplantation in people with Limb Amputation and Extremity Amputation, run by Brigham and Women's Hospital at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
Limb transplantation surgery is the transfer of one or more limbs from a deceased human donor to a patient with single or multiple limb amputation. Hand transplantation is an innovative reconstructive procedure that has the potential to significantly improve the lives of hand amputees. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 60 years
- Conditions the study is for
- Limb Amputation, Extremity Amputation
- What is being tested?
- Limb transplantation
- Type of treatment
- Surgery or procedure
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 10 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 1 Feb 2010to 31 Dec 2030
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 to 60 years
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult
Who may be able to join
- Age between 18 and 60 years.
- Single dominant hand or multiple limb amputation.
- Time elapsed since amputation more than 6 months but less than 15 years.
- Patient has tried prosthesis without success.
- Level of amputation anywhere from the wrist (or ankle) joint to just below the shoulder (or hip) joint, which should be functional.
- Signed written informed consent.
Show all 11Show fewer
- Willing to complete psychological and social evaluations.
- Willing to take immunosuppressants - drugs that help prevent rejection of the transplant - for life.
- Willing to comply with extensive post-transplant rehabilitation for a minimum of two years.
- Willing to return for follow-up visits as determined by the treating physician.
- Willing to receive standard vaccinations prior to the transplant, such as influenza and hepatitis B.
Who cannot join
- Single, non-dominant hand amputees.
- Active malignancy.
- High risk of return of malignancy.
- History of persistent non-compliance.
- Findings of psychological evaluation that indicate inability to comply with physician's orders or mental instability.
- Any diagnosis that puts the subject at risk from limb transplant surgery or life-long immune suppression.
- Inability to ensure adequate follow-up of post-transplant care and immune suppression.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
United States1 site, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
Brigham and Women's Hospital
Boston, Massachusetts, 02115
Simon Talbot, 617-732-4288, sgtalbot@bwh.harvard.edu
Simon Talbot, M.D.
About this study
Limb transplantation surgery is the transfer of one or more limbs from a deceased human donor to a patient with single or multiple limb amputation. Hand transplantation is an innovative reconstructive procedure that has the potential to significantly improve the lives of hand amputees. The purpose of this study is to develop the best practices for multiple limb transplantation that will improve the outcomes of future limb transplant recipients.
Read the detailed description
Limb transplantation surgery, the transfer of the limb(s) from a deceased human donor to a patient with amputation of one or more limbss, is an experimental reconstructive procedure that has the potential to significantly improve the lives of amputees.
Limb transplantation is similar to face transplantation in that the tissues transplanted include skin, tendons, muscles, ligaments, bones and blood vessels. The transplant team at Brigham and Women's Hospital includes a wide variety of medical and surgical specialties. The team hopes to build upon the success of their first face transplantation to provide amputee patients with the significant benefits of limb transplantation.
Toward this goal, BWH is actively seeking qualified candidates for the limb transplant research study. We will be studying a small group of people to learn more about:
- How to advance the science of limb transplantation
- How to support and limit transplant rejection issues
- How people do after limb transplantation
We describe limb transplant surgery as a life-giving procedure because it has the potential to dramatically improve, that is to restore, both a patient's mental and physical health and his/her ability to function and integrate in society. However, as with any other type of organ transplantation, this improvement will require the patient to make a lifetime commitment to taking medications that suppress the body's immune system.
Conventional reconstruction methods are always considered first, but they may provide less than optimal results for certain patients. There are many sophisticated prostheses that satisfactorily replace the basic function of a missing limb. However, replacing limbs (in whole or in part) with prosthetics remains suboptimal in that prostheses do not provide sensation and do not have a natural appearance. Limbtransplant surgery, however, has the potential to deliver these desired functional and aesthetic benefits. Functionally, limb transplant surgery can provide a patient with new limbs that, after extensive rehabilitation, allow him/her to perform daily activities and, in most cases, return to work. Furthermore, the ability to restore a near-normal aesthetic appearance of the limb(s) can lead to tremendous psychological benefits, including elevated confidence and mood.
From the time we begin our search for a qualified limb transplant recipient to the continuing care we provide following surgery, a significant amount of time, expertise and attentiveness is contributed toward making the procedure a progressive success. Limb transplant candidates go through an extensive screening process that is likely to last several months. This screening includes a psychiatric and social support evaluation and a series of imaging tests to help determine a patient's physical and mental readiness for the procedure. If, upon completion of the screening process, it is determined that a patient is a suitable candidate, we will place the patient on a transplant waiting list. We will then begin working with the New England Organ Bank (NEOB) team to find a donor who matches the recipient's tissue requirements - for example similar age and correct blood type. This search could take many months, and, if a suitable donor is not found within one year, we will speak with the patient to determine whether he/she is willing to continue waiting.
- Conditions
- Limb Amputation, Extremity Amputation
- Being tested
- Limb transplantation
- Keywords
- limb transplantation, limb allotransplantation, hand transplantation, hand allotransplantation, hand amputation, leg transplantation
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Limb transplantationProcedure or surgery
Also called vascularized composite allotransplantation
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Transplantation | Experimental | Subjects will undergo single or multiple limb transplantation Receives: Procedure: Limb transplantation |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Outcomes of limb transplantation
We will undertake an objective evaluation of the results of limb transplantation in an "outcome-oriented" study
Measured: Subjects will be followed for 18 months after transplantation
Secondary outcomes (1)
Efficacy and optimization of the immune suppression protocol
We will evaluate the risks of rejection or likelihood of tolerance induction by measuring specific parameters in the blood or tissue, including: Serum alloantibodies concentration, numbers/phenotype of specific T cell alloreactivity in the peripheral blood, phenotypic characterization of graft infiltrating cells and local gene expression of cells and cytokines.
Measured: 18 months
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted10 Feb 2011 (estimated)
- Study start1 Feb 2010
- Primary completion31 Dec 2030 (estimated)
- Study completion31 Dec 2030 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (5)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for Limb AmputationStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by Brigham and Women's HospitalThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 10 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Brigham and Women's Hospital
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Simon George Talbot, Brigham and Women's Hospital
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT01293214
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 2012P000073
- Status last verified
- Sep 2026
- First submitted
- 9 Feb 2011
- Last updated
- 1 Oct 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
Publications
Pomahac B, Aflaki P. Composite tissue transplantation: a new era in transplantation surgery. Eplasty. 2010 Sep 15;10:e58.
PubMed 20862294Bueno E, Benjamin MJ, Sisk G, Sampson CE, Carty M, Pribaz JJ, Pomahac B, Talbot SG. Rehabilitation following hand transplantation. Hand (N Y). 2014 Mar;9(1):9-15. doi: 10.1007/s11552-013-9568-8.
PubMed 24570631Carty MJ, Zuker R, Cavadas P, Pribaz JJ, Talbot SG, Pomahac B. The case for lower extremity allotransplantation. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2013 Jun;131(6):1272-1277. doi: 10.1097/PRS.0b013e31828bd1a5.
PubMed 23416434George E, Mitsouras D, Kumamaru KK, Shah N, Smith SE, Schultz K, Deaver PM, Mullen KM, Steigner ML, Gravereaux EC, Demehri S, Bueno EM, Talbot SG, Pomahac B, Rybicki FJ. Upper extremity composite tissue allotransplantation imaging. Eplasty. 2013 Jul 16;13:e38. eCollection 2013.
PubMed 23943677Borges TJ, Abarzua P, Gassen RB, Kollar B, Lima-Filho M, Aoyama BT, Gluhova D, Clark RA, Islam SA, Pomahac B, Murphy GF, Lian CG, Talbot SG, Riella LV. T cell-attracting CCL18 chemokine is a dominant rejection signal during limb transplantation. Cell Rep Med. 2022 Mar 15;3(3):100559. doi: 10.1016/j.xcrm.2022.100559. eCollection 2022 Mar 15.
PubMed 35492875
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 1 Oct 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Vascularized Composite Allotransplantation for Multiple Extremity Amputations
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT01293214
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 2012P000073
- Conditions
- Limb Amputation, Extremity Amputation
- Keywords
- limb transplantation, limb allotransplantation, hand transplantation, hand allotransplantation, hand amputation, leg transplantation
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Enrolment
- 10 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Brigham and Women's HospitalUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 1 Feb 2010 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 31 Dec 2030 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 31 Dec 2030 (estimated)
- First posted
- 10 Feb 2011 (estimated)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
Limb transplantation surgery is the transfer of one or more limbs from a deceased human donor to a patient with single or multiple limb amputation. Hand transplantation is an innovative reconstructive procedure that has the potential to significantly improve the lives of hand amputees. The purpose of this study is to develop the best practices for multiple limb transplantation that will improve the outcomes of future limb transplant recipients.
Detailed description
Limb transplantation surgery, the transfer of the limb(s) from a deceased human donor to a patient with amputation of one or more limbss, is an experimental reconstructive procedure that has the potential to significantly improve the lives of amputees.
Limb transplantation is similar to face transplantation in that the tissues transplanted include skin, tendons, muscles, ligaments, bones and blood vessels. The transplant team at Brigham and Women's Hospital includes a wide variety of medical and surgical specialties. The team hopes to build upon the success of their first face transplantation to provide amputee patients with the significant benefits of limb transplantation.
Toward this goal, BWH is actively seeking qualified candidates for the limb transplant research study. We will be studying a small group of people to learn more about:
- How to advance the science of limb transplantation
- How to support and limit transplant rejection issues
- How people do after limb transplantation
We describe limb transplant surgery as a life-giving procedure because it has the potential to dramatically improve, that is to restore, both a patient's mental and physical health and his/her ability to function and integrate in society. However, as with any other type of organ transplantation, this improvement will require the patient to make a lifetime commitment to taking medications that suppress the body's immune system.
Conventional reconstruction methods are always considered first, but they may provide less than optimal results for certain patients. There are many sophisticated prostheses that satisfactorily replace the basic function of a missing limb. However, replacing limbs (in whole or in part) with prosthetics remains suboptimal in that prostheses do not provide sensation and do not have a natural appearance. Limbtransplant surgery, however, has the potential to deliver these desired functional and aesthetic benefits. Functionally, limb transplant surgery can provide a patient with new limbs that, after extensive rehabilitation, allow him/her to perform daily activities and, in most cases, return to work. Furthermore, the ability to restore a near-normal aesthetic appearance of the limb(s) can lead to tremendous psychological benefits, including elevated confidence and mood.
From the time we begin our search for a qualified limb transplant recipient to the continuing care we provide following surgery, a significant amount of time, expertise and attentiveness is contributed toward making the procedure a progressive success. Limb transplant candidates go through an extensive screening process that is likely to last several months. This screening includes a psychiatric and social support evaluation and a series of imaging tests to help determine a patient's physical and mental readiness for the procedure. If, upon completion of the screening process, it is determined that a patient is a suitable candidate, we will place the patient on a transplant waiting list. We will then begin working with the New England Organ Bank (NEOB) team to find a donor who matches the recipient's tissue requirements - for example similar age and correct blood type. This search could take many months, and, if a suitable donor is not found within one year, we will speak with the patient to determine whether he/she is willing to continue waiting.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 1
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Transplantation | Experimental | Procedure: Limb transplantationSubjects will undergo single or multiple limb transplantation |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 60 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult
Key inclusion criteria (11 listed)
- Age between 18 and 60 years.
- Single dominant hand or multiple limb amputation.
- Time elapsed since amputation more than 6 months but less than 15 years.
- Patient has tried prosthesis without success.
- Level of amputation anywhere from the wrist (or ankle) joint to just below the shoulder (or hip) joint, which should be functional.
Key exclusion criteria (7 listed)
- Single, non-dominant hand amputees.
- Active malignancy.
- High risk of return of malignancy.
- History of persistent non-compliance.
- Findings of psychological evaluation that indicate inability to comply with physician's orders or mental instability.
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Limb transplantationAlso: vascularized composite allotransplantation | Procedure or surgery | Transplantation |
Primary outcome
Outcomes of limb transplantation
Time frame: Subjects will be followed for 18 months after transplantation
We will undertake an objective evaluation of the results of limb transplantation in an "outcome-oriented" study
1 secondary outcome
Efficacy and optimization of the immune suppression protocol
Time frame: 18 months
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 1 Oct 2026.
- Background: PubMed 20862294Pomahac B, Aflaki P. Composite tissue transplantation: a new era in transplantation surgery. Eplasty. 2010 Sep 15;10:e58.
- Background: PubMed 24570631Bueno E, Benjamin MJ, Sisk G, Sampson CE, Carty M, Pribaz JJ, Pomahac B, Talbot SG. Rehabilitation following hand transplantation. Hand (N Y). 2014 Mar;9(1):9-15. doi: 10.1007/s11552-013-9568-8.
- Background: PubMed 23416434Carty MJ, Zuker R, Cavadas P, Pribaz JJ, Talbot SG, Pomahac B. The case for lower extremity allotransplantation. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2013 Jun;131(6):1272-1277. doi: 10.1097/PRS.0b013e31828bd1a5.
- Results publication: PubMed 23943677George E, Mitsouras D, Kumamaru KK, Shah N, Smith SE, Schultz K, Deaver PM, Mullen KM, Steigner ML, Gravereaux EC, Demehri S, Bueno EM, Talbot SG, Pomahac B, Rybicki FJ. Upper extremity composite tissue allotransplantation imaging. Eplasty. 2013 Jul 16;13:e38. eCollection 2013.
- Derived from this study: PubMed 35492875Borges TJ, Abarzua P, Gassen RB, Kollar B, Lima-Filho M, Aoyama BT, Gluhova D, Clark RA, Islam SA, Pomahac B, Murphy GF, Lian CG, Talbot SG, Riella LV. T cell-attracting CCL18 chemokine is a dominant rejection signal during limb transplantation. Cell Rep Med. 2022 Mar 15;3(3):100559. doi: 10.1016/j.xcrm.2022.100559. eCollection 2022 Mar 15.
- Study's official webpageLink provided by the sponsor.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Limb transplantation in people with Limb Amputation and Extremity Amputation, run by Brigham and Women's Hospital at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 11 inclusion and 7 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 1 Oct 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Each site lists its own contact: choose the nearest one under Trial locations. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Outcomes of limb transplantation (time frame: Subjects will be followed for 18 months after transplantation). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT01293214, which also lists 5 linked publications.
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 1 Oct 2026.