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Cardiovascular Diseases RiskORIGINS-VRCE-2NCT06769347

Circulating Vascular Regenerative Cell Exhaustion in Individuals Without Type 2 Diabetes Who Are of South Asian or European Origins

An observational study of Cardiovascular Diseases Risk, run by Canadian Medical and Surgical Knowledge Translation Research Group at 5 sites in Canada.

Active, not recruiting

Under way, not looking for participants. Everyone needed has enrolled. The study is still running.

Official record
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Trial summary

ORIGINS-VRCE-2 is an observational study aimed to assess how blood vessel forming stem cells from individuals without diabetes or a history of cardiovascular disease differ between individuals of South Asian and European ethnicities. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
Conditions the study is for
Cardiovascular Diseases Risk
How many people
120 participants
Where
5 sitesCanada
Study dates
30 Jan 2025to Aug 2028
Phase
Observational
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 years and older
  • All sexes
  • Healthy volunteers accepted
  • Adult, Older adult

Study population: Participants will be identified from primary care and cardiology outpatient clinics in the Greater Toronto Area using paper-based and electronic medical records.

Who may be able to join

  • Adults 18 years of age or older of South Asian origin or European origin as defined by the following: i. South Asian defined as any individual who identifies as Anglo-Indian, Bangladeshi, Bengali, Bhutanese, Goan, Gujarati, Indian, Jatt, Kashmiri, Maharashtrian, Malayali, Nepali, Pakistani, Punjabi, Sindhi, Sinhalese, Sri Lankan, Tamil, Telugu, or other South Asian origins. ii. European Origin defined as any individual who identifies as from western Europe, northern Europe, southern Europe, eastern Europe or other European origins.
  • Willing and able to provide written informed consent and comply with study requirements
  • Must fulfill the following exclusion criteria:

Who cannot join

  • No previous diagnosis of type 2 diabetes
  • Any previous CV events such as:
  • Prior myocardial infarction
  • Coronary revascularization
  • Coronary artery disease, peripheral artery disease, cerebrovascular disease
  • Any life-threatening disease expected to result in death within the next 2 years
Show all 13Show fewer
  • Any malignancy not considered cured (except basal cell carcinoma of the skin). A subject is considered cured if there has been no evidence of cancer recurrence for the 5 years prior to screening
  • Known severe liver disease (e.g. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, chronic liver disease, liver cirrhosis, etc.)
  • White blood cell count ≥ 15 x 10^9/L
  • Active infectious disease requiring antibiotic or anti-viral agents
  • Known acquired immunodeficiency syndrome such as HIV
  • On oral steroid therapy (e.g. prednisone) or other immunosuppressive agents (e.g. methotrexate)
  • Treated autoimmune disorder

Trial locations and contacts

5 sites in 1 country.

5 sites in 1 country

Canada5 sites
  • Markham HealthPlex Medical Centre

    Markham, Ontario, L3S 0A2

  • North York Diagnostic and Cardiac Centre

    North York, Ontario, M6B 3H7

  • Marlee Medical Centre

    North York, Ontario, M6B4B8

  • Diagnostic Assessment Centre

    Scarborough Village, Ontario, M1S4N6

  • Langstaff Medical Centre

    Woodbridge, Ontario, L4L 0K8

Other trials in Canada

About this study

ORIGINS-VRCE-2 is an observational study aimed to assess how blood vessel forming stem cells from individuals without diabetes or a history of cardiovascular disease differ between individuals of South Asian and European ethnicities. The overarching objective of the study is to investigate whether differential vessel reparative stem cell populations and characteristics may underlie the elevated cardiovascular risk observed among South Asian individuals compared to individuals of European origins.

Read the detailed description

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the main cause of death worldwide. Notably, individuals of South Asian (SA) origin have 3 to 5-fold increased rates of CVD compared to European individuals, which cannot be entirely explained by diet, lifestyle, or socioeconomic factors. Therefore, the mechanisms driving the increased CVD risk in SA individuals remains largely unknown.

Cardiovascular health is maintained by vascular regenerative cells, which secrete pro-vascular cytokines involved in various pro-angiogenic, arteriogenic and vasculogenic pathways. It has been shown that SA adults with type 2 diabetes or CVD show vascular regenerative cell exhaustion (VRCE), characterized by a reduced number or dysfunction of pro-vascular cells compared to European adults with type 2 diabetes or CVD. Thus, VRCE presents as a novel mechanism to explain the increased cardiovascular risk SA individuals experience. However, it is unclear whether VRCE only occurs in people with cardiometabolic diseases, or if it is a phenomenon that is also present in healthy SA individuals.

ORIGINS-VRCE-2 is an observational, two-armed, cross-sectional study that will enroll 60 healthy South Asian and 60 healthy European individuals. Vascular regenerative cells will be isolated from peripheral blood samples for enumeration and characterization.

Keywords
Progenitor Cells, Cardiometabolic Risk, Ethnic Origins

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

Study groups in NCT06769347
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
South Asian OriginsIndividuals who identify as having Anglo-Indian, Bangladeshi, Bengali, Bhutanese, Goan, Gujarati, Indian, Jatt, Kashmiri, Maharashtrian, Malayali, Nepali, Pakistani, Punjabi, Sindhi, Sinhalese, Sri Lankan, Tamil, Telugu, or other South Asian origin
European OriginsIndividuals who identify as having western European, northern European, southern European, eastern European or other European origin

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. The differences in the frequency / absolute number of circulating ALDHhi primitive progenitor cells co-expressing CD133 between individuals of South Asian origins and European origins

    Measured: Baseline

Secondary outcomes (1)
  1. The differences in the frequency / absolute number of circulating ALDHhiSSCmid precursor cells with monocytes/macrophage phenotype between individuals of South Asian origins and European origin

    Measured: Baseline

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted10 Jan 2025
  2. Study start30 Jan 2025
  3. Primary completionAug 2028 (estimated)
  4. Study completionAug 2028 (estimated)

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Observational
Observational model
Cohort
Time perspective
Cross-sectional
Enrolment
120 participants (estimated)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT06769347
Sponsor's protocol ID
Pro00083605
Acronym
ORIGINS-VRCE-2
Status last verified
Aug 2026
First submitted
7 Jan 2025
Last updated
6 Aug 2026
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
Undecided

Publications

  • Capoccia BJ, Robson DL, Levac KD, Maxwell DJ, Hohm SA, Neelamkavil MJ, Bell GI, Xenocostas A, Link DC, Piwnica-Worms D, Nolta JA, Hess DA. Revascularization of ischemic limbs after transplantation of human bone marrow cells with high aldehyde dehydrogenase activity. Blood. 2009 May 21;113(21):5340-51. doi: 10.1182/blood-2008-04-154567. Epub 2009 Mar 26.

    PubMed 19324906
  • Putman DM, Liu KY, Broughton HC, Bell GI, Hess DA. Umbilical cord blood-derived aldehyde dehydrogenase-expressing progenitor cells promote recovery from acute ischemic injury. Stem Cells. 2012 Oct;30(10):2248-60. doi: 10.1002/stem.1206.

    PubMed 22899443
  • Krishnaraj A, Bakbak E, Teoh H, Pan Y, Firoz IN, Pandey AK, Terenzi DC, Verma R, Bari B, Bakbak AI, Kunjummar SP, Yanagawa B, Connelly KA, Mazer CD, Rotstein OD, Quan A, Bhatt DL, McGuire DK, Hess DA, Verma S. Vascular Regenerative Cell Deficiencies in South Asian Adults. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2024 Feb 20;83(7):755-769. doi: 10.1016/j.jacc.2023.12.012.

    PubMed 38355246
  • Bakbak E, Verma S, Krishnaraj A, Quan A, Wang CH, Pan Y, Puar P, Mason T, Verma R, Terenzi DC, Rotstein OD, Yan AT, Connelly KA, Teoh H, Mazer CD, Hess DA. Empagliflozin improves circulating vascular regenerative cell content in people without diabetes with risk factors for adverse cardiac remodeling. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol. 2023 Nov 1;325(5):H1210-H1222. doi: 10.1152/ajpheart.00141.2023. Epub 2023 Sep 29.

    PubMed 37773589
  • Hess DA, Trac JZ, Glazer SA, Terenzi DC, Quan A, Teoh H, Al-Omran M, Bhatt DL, Mazer CD, Rotstein OD, Verma S. Vascular Risk Reduction in Obesity through Reduced Granulocyte Burden and Improved Angiogenic Monocyte Content following Bariatric Surgery. Cell Rep Med. 2020 May 19;1(2):100018. doi: 10.1016/j.xcrm.2020.100018. eCollection 2020 May 19.

    PubMed 33205058
  • Terenzi DC, Trac JZ, Teoh H, Gerstein HC, Bhatt DL, Al-Omran M, Verma S, Hess DA. Vascular Regenerative Cell Exhaustion in Diabetes: Translational Opportunities to Mitigate Cardiometabolic Risk. Trends Mol Med. 2019 Jul;25(7):640-655. doi: 10.1016/j.molmed.2019.03.006. Epub 2019 Apr 30.

    PubMed 31053416
  • Terenzi DC, Bakbak E, Trac JZ, Al-Omran M, Quan A, Teoh H, Verma S, Hess DA. Isolation and characterization of circulating pro-vascular progenitor cell subsets from human whole blood samples. STAR Protoc. 2021 Feb 1;2(1):100311. doi: 10.1016/j.xpro.2021.100311. eCollection 2021 Mar 19.

    PubMed 33554145
  • Patel AP, Wang M, Kartoun U, Ng K, Khera AV. Quantifying and Understanding the Higher Risk of Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease Among South Asian Individuals: Results From the UK Biobank Prospective Cohort Study. Circulation. 2021 Aug 10;144(6):410-422. doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.120.052430. Epub 2021 Jul 12.

    PubMed 34247495
  • Volgman AS, Palaniappan LS, Aggarwal NT, Gupta M, Khandelwal A, Krishnan AV, Lichtman JH, Mehta LS, Patel HN, Shah KS, Shah SH, Watson KE; American Heart Association Council on Epidemiology and Prevention; Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke in Women and Special Populations Committee of the Council on Clinical Cardiology; Council on Cardiovascular and Stroke Nursing; Council on Quality of Care and Outcomes Research; and Stroke Council. Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease in South Asians in the United States: Epidemiology, Risk Factors, and Treatments: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2018 Jul 3;138(1):e1-e34. doi: 10.1161/CIR.0000000000000580. Epub 2018 May 24.

    PubMed 29794080
  • Gupta M, Singh N, Verma S. South Asians and cardiovascular risk: what clinicians should know. Circulation. 2006 Jun 27;113(25):e924-9. doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.105.583815. No abstract available.

    PubMed 16801466
  • GBD 2021 Diabetes Collaborators. Global, regional, and national burden of diabetes from 1990 to 2021, with projections of prevalence to 2050: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021. Lancet. 2023 Jul 15;402(10397):203-234. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(23)01301-6. Epub 2023 Jun 22.

    PubMed 37356446
  • Vaduganathan M, Mensah GA, Turco JV, Fuster V, Roth GA. The Global Burden of Cardiovascular Diseases and Risk: A Compass for Future Health. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2022 Dec 20;80(25):2361-2371. doi: 10.1016/j.jacc.2022.11.005. Epub 2022 Nov 9. No abstract available.

    PubMed 36368511

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

An observational study of Cardiovascular Diseases Risk, run by Canadian Medical and Surgical Knowledge Translation Research Group at 5 sites in Canada.

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 3 inclusion and 13 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: under way, not looking for participants, as of the sponsor's last update on 6 Aug 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 5 sites in Canada. 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?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

The differences in the frequency / absolute number of circulating ALDHhi primitive progenitor cells co-expressing CD133 between individuals of South Asian origins and European origins (time frame: Baseline). 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 NCT06769347, which also lists 12 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 6 Aug 2026.

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