Primary Ciliary DyskinesiaCLIPNCT07699302
Clearance in Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia
A study testing Exercise and HS pretreatment with Exercise in people with Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia and PCD, run by University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
Understanding mechanisms of mucus clearance from the airways may lead to treatments in muco-obstructive lung conditions. Mucociliary clearance (MCC) scans are a way to measure the rate at which a person's lungs can clear inhaled particles. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and older
- Conditions the study is for
- Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia, PCD
- What is being tested?
- Exercise and HS pretreatment with Exercise
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 8 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 30 Jul 2026to Jan 2027
- 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 years and older
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- 18 years old or older
- Diagnosis of PCD with supporting genetics
- Lung function with forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) percent predicted >30%
- Ability to exercise for 20 minutes (Exercise Assessment performed at screening visit)
Who cannot join
- Intolerance to 7% HS
- Failure of HS tolerance test (HSTT) at visit 1 (V1), defined as a decline of 10% in FEV1 from baseline pre-bronchodilator (BD) FEV1 after 7% HS
- Intolerance to levalbuterol
- Exercise-induced asthma
- Complex congenital heart disease or other exercise limitation
- Lung transplantation or listed for lung transplantation
Show all 15Show fewer
- History of lung resection of the lung analyzed by MCC (depending on situs status)
- Pregnancy or unwillingness to use approved birth control during study period
- Recent hemoptysis (>60 ml in the last 3 months)
- Pulmonary exacerbation in preceding 4 weeks
- Change in pulmonary therapies within preceding 4 weeks
- Resting or exertional O2 requirement (nocturnal acceptable)
- Tobacco / smoking history (any within last year, and >10 pack year history in past)
- More than 2 chest computed tomography (CT) scans in the past year or a combination of procedures believed to have exposed the lungs to >150 millisieverts (mSv), including from other research studies
- Participation in another interventional trial within 30 days
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
Corinne Taylor contact
United States1 site
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 27278
Katherine A Despotes, MD, 919-966-1055, katherine.despotes@unchealth.unc.edu
Corinne Taylor, corinne.lawler@unc.edu
About this study
Official title: Evaluating Non-ciliary Mechanisms of Airway Clearance in Muco-obstructive Lung Disease
Understanding mechanisms of mucus clearance from the airways may lead to treatments in muco-obstructive lung conditions. Mucociliary clearance (MCC) scans are a way to measure the rate at which a person's lungs can clear inhaled particles. Through a single-arm pilot study in participants with primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD), the investigators will evaluate the effect of exercise as a way to increase clearance through a mechanism called gas liquid transport (GLT) where the faster flow of air through the lungs during exercise is able to clear more particles. The investigators will repeat MCC measures with exercise after administering hypertonic saline (HS) to evaluate the effects of mucus hydration on both GLT and cough clearance (CC).
Aim 1. To quantify non-ciliary, non-cough mechanisms of mucus clearance (i.e., GLT) in PCD through an MCC protocol that introduces a standardized exercise intervention after isotope delivery.
Aim 2. To evaluate whether exercise-induced GLT and/or CC are responsive to hydrator intervention, using a short acting bronchodilator with 7% HS prior to isotope delivery followed by MCC with exercise intervention.
Read the detailed description
The investigators will perform an open label, single-arm interventional pilot study with all participants undergoing the interventions (exercise, and exercise with HS pretreatment) and serving as their own control to evaluate the effects of exercise on non-ciliary mucus clearance mechanisms in PCD to better identify role of GLT and CC. The investigators will also evaluate the effect of pretreatment with HS on GLT (if present) and CC, to determine if these mechanisms of mucus clearance are modifiable by future therapies in PCD and other muco-obstructive lung diseases.
Patients will be asked to attend a total of 3 study visits: screening visit 1 (V1), baseline exercise MCC (visit 2 (V2) or visit 3 (V3)), and HS pretreatment MCC (V2 or V3). Patients will be randomized to perform their baseline exercise MCC scan first or their HS pretreatment MCC scan first to minimize introduction of bias. The time between V1 and V2 will be 3 days to 28 days to allow for flexibility of scheduling, but participants already prescribed HS will be required to undergo a washout period of at least 3 days. V3 will take place at least 3 days after V2 to allow for remaining MCC isotope washout. At V1, tolerability and change in airway caliber in response to HS will be assessed by symptom assessment and spirometry, along with the performance of an exercise assessment to inform the exercise protocol in V2 and V3. From the baseline exercise MCC visit, the primary outcome of Whole Lung Total GLT will be measured. Through comparing the data from the exercise MCC visit and the HS pretreatment MCC visit, change in Whole Lung Total GLT and CC will be determined.
- Conditions
- Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia, PCD
- Being tested
- Exercise, HS pretreatment with Exercise
- Keywords
- exercise, primary ciliary dyskinesia, airway clearance, mucociliary clearance, hypertonic saline, cough clearance, gas liquid transport
- Medical subject headings
- Ciliary Motility Disorders, Motor Activity
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
ExerciseBehavioural
At either V2 or V3, after 16 minutes of baseline MCC data collection, participants will perform 20 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise based on the Borg Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) scale, on a cycle ergometer. The goal through this moderate intensity exercise is to increase respiratory rate and airflow velocity, thereby potentially inducing GLT. Participants will then resume MCC scan data collection post-exercise to continue to measure the effects induced by exercise on clearance from the lungs.
HS pretreatment with ExerciseOther
At either V2 or V3, prior to the start of baseline MCC scanning, participants will undergo pretreatment with 4 puffs of inhaled levalbuterol (90 mcg per actuation, via spacer) followed by 4 ml of 7% HS via nebulizer. Participants will then start MCC scan data collection, and after 16 minutes of baseline MCC collection they will then complete 20 minutes of moderate intensity exercise according to the Borg RPE on a cycle ergometer. After 20 minutes, MCC scan will resume to continue to measure rates of clearance following HS pretreatment and exercise.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Exercise with and without HS pretreatment | Experimental | All participants will undergo interventions of exercise alone, and exercise with HS pretreatment, in two separate study visits according to randomization to intervention sequence. Receives: Behavioral: Exercise; Other: HS pretreatment with Exercise |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Whole Lung Total GLT
Through MCC scan with built in exercise protocol, the investigators will measure the effects of exercise on rates of clearance of radiolabeled isotopes from the lungs, thought to represent GLT. The investigators will measure the difference between retained particles from immediately before (after collection of 16 minutes of baseline MCC data through eight 2-minute images) and immediately after 20 minutes of moderate intensity exercise on a cycle ergometer (40 minutes after start of MCC data collection). This will represent Active GLT. The investigators will then resume measurement of MCC clearance rate by serial 2-minute image collection of the whole lung from 40 minutes to 70 minutes. This will represent Sustained GLT. The sum of Active and Sustained GLT will represent Whole Lung GLT. This measurement will occur at either Visit 2 or Visit 3, depending on visit sequence randomization.
Measured: Either Day 1 (Visit 2) or up to Day 28 (Visit 3) depending on randomization to sequence intervention
Change in Whole Lung Total GLT after HS pretreatment
After pretreatment with levalbuterol and 7% HS, participants will undergo an MCC scan with built in exercise protocol. The investigators will measure the effects of exercise on rates of clearance of radiolabeled isotopes from the lungs, thought to represent GLT. The investigators will measure Active GLT and Sustained GLT after HS pretreatment, which taken together will represent Whole Lung GLT after HS pretreatment. This measurement will occur at either Visit 2 or Visit 3 depending on visit sequence randomization. The difference between Whole Lung GLT from exercise alone will be compared with the HS pretreatment Whole Lung GLT.
Measured: Day 3 to 28, depending on timing of Visit 3
Change in Cough Clearance (CC) after HS Pretreatment
The investigators will measure the effects of exercise and HS pretreatment on rates of clearance of radiolabeled isotopes from the lungs during a period of controlled coughs at regular intervals. During Visit 2 and Visit 3 MCC scans, from minutes 70 through 100 of MCC data collection, participants will be instructed to perform 30 voluntary huff-cough maneuvers while serial 2-minute images are obtained. The change in clearance during this time will represent CC. At one of these visits (either Visit 2 or Visit 3 depending on randomization to intervention sequence), participants will undergo pretreatment with levalbuterol and 7% HS prior to the MCC scan with exercise protocol. The difference between CC after exercise alone and CC after exercise with HS pretreatment will be measured.
Measured: Day 3 to 28, depending on timing of Visit 3
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted13 Jul 2026
- Study start30 Jul 2026 (estimated)
- Primary completionJan 2027 (estimated)
- Study completionJan 2027 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Primary Ciliary DyskinesiaStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- 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
- Model description
- This is a single arm pilot study in PCD, where all patients will undergo the interventions of exercise and exercise after pretreatment with HS and levalbuterol as part of MCC scans during study visits. At the screening visit (V1), the investigators will randomize participants to the sequence which they complete the interventions/study visits (exercise alone first vs exercise with HS pretreatment first at V2). Participants will then subsequently complete the other type of study visit at V3.
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 8 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Katherine A Despotes, MD, Principal investigator, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07699302
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 25-1650
- Acronym
- CLIP
- Status last verified
- Jun 2026
- First submitted
- 29 Jun 2026
- Last updated
- 13 Jul 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No: The investigators will not share individual participant data (IPD) with other researchers to protect patient confidentiality.
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 13 Jul 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Evaluating Non-ciliary Mechanisms of Airway Clearance in Muco-obstructive Lung Disease
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07699302
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- CLIP / 25-1650
- Conditions
- Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia, PCD
- Keywords
- exercise, primary ciliary dyskinesia, airway clearance, mucociliary clearance, hypertonic saline, cough clearance, gas liquid transport
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Not yet recruiting
- Enrolment
- 8 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- University of North Carolina, Chapel HillUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
- Study start
- 30 Jul 2026 (estimated)
- Primary completion
- Jan 2027 (estimated)
- Study completion
- Jan 2027 (estimated)
- First posted
- 13 Jul 2026 (actual)
- 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.
Understanding mechanisms of mucus clearance from the airways may lead to treatments in muco-obstructive lung conditions. Mucociliary clearance (MCC) scans are a way to measure the rate at which a person's lungs can clear inhaled particles. Through a single-arm pilot study in participants with primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD), the investigators will evaluate the effect of exercise as a way to increase clearance through a mechanism called gas liquid transport (GLT) where the faster flow of air through the lungs during exercise is able to clear more particles. The investigators will repeat MCC measures with exercise after administering hypertonic saline (HS) to evaluate the effects of mucus hydration on both GLT and cough clearance (CC).
Aim 1. To quantify non-ciliary, non-cough mechanisms of mucus clearance (i.e., GLT) in PCD through an MCC protocol that introduces a standardized exercise intervention after isotope delivery.
Aim 2. To evaluate whether exercise-induced GLT and/or CC are responsive to hydrator intervention, using a short acting bronchodilator with 7% HS prior to isotope delivery followed by MCC with exercise intervention.
Detailed description
The investigators will perform an open label, single-arm interventional pilot study with all participants undergoing the interventions (exercise, and exercise with HS pretreatment) and serving as their own control to evaluate the effects of exercise on non-ciliary mucus clearance mechanisms in PCD to better identify role of GLT and CC. The investigators will also evaluate the effect of pretreatment with HS on GLT (if present) and CC, to determine if these mechanisms of mucus clearance are modifiable by future therapies in PCD and other muco-obstructive lung diseases.
Patients will be asked to attend a total of 3 study visits: screening visit 1 (V1), baseline exercise MCC (visit 2 (V2) or visit 3 (V3)), and HS pretreatment MCC (V2 or V3). Patients will be randomized to perform their baseline exercise MCC scan first or their HS pretreatment MCC scan first to minimize introduction of bias. The time between V1 and V2 will be 3 days to 28 days to allow for flexibility of scheduling, but participants already prescribed HS will be required to undergo a washout period of at least 3 days. V3 will take place at least 3 days after V2 to allow for remaining MCC isotope washout. At V1, tolerability and change in airway caliber in response to HS will be assessed by symptom assessment and spirometry, along with the performance of an exercise assessment to inform the exercise protocol in V2 and V3. From the baseline exercise MCC visit, the primary outcome of Whole Lung Total GLT will be measured. Through comparing the data from the exercise MCC visit and the HS pretreatment MCC visit, change in Whole Lung Total GLT and CC will be determined.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 1
- Model description
- This is a single arm pilot study in PCD, where all patients will undergo the interventions of exercise and exercise after pretreatment with HS and levalbuterol as part of MCC scans during study visits. At the screening visit (V1), the investigators will randomize participants to the sequence which they complete the interventions/study visits (exercise alone first vs exercise with HS pretreatment first at V2). Participants will then subsequently complete the other type of study visit at V3.
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Exercise with and without HS pretreatment | Experimental | Behavioral: Exercise, Other: HS pretreatment with ExerciseAll participants will undergo interventions of exercise alone, and exercise with HS pretreatment, in two separate study visits according to randomization to intervention sequence. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (4 listed)
- 18 years old or older
- Diagnosis of PCD with supporting genetics
- Lung function with forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) percent predicted >30%
- Ability to exercise for 20 minutes (Exercise Assessment performed at screening visit)
Key exclusion criteria (15 listed)
- Intolerance to 7% HS
- Failure of HS tolerance test (HSTT) at visit 1 (V1), defined as a decline of 10% in FEV1 from baseline pre-bronchodilator (BD) FEV1 after 7% HS
- Intolerance to levalbuterol
- Exercise-induced asthma
- Complex congenital heart disease or other exercise limitation
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 |
|---|---|---|
| ExerciseAt either V2 or V3, after 16 minutes of baseline MCC data collection, participants will perform 20 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise based on the Borg Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) scale, on a cycle ergometer. The goal through this moderate intensity exercise is to increase respiratory rate and airflow velocity, thereby potentially inducing GLT. Participants will then resume MCC scan data collection post-exercise to continue to measure the effects induced by exercise on clearance from the lungs. | Behavioural | Exercise with and without HS pretreatment |
| HS pretreatment with ExerciseAt either V2 or V3, prior to the start of baseline MCC scanning, participants will undergo pretreatment with 4 puffs of inhaled levalbuterol (90 mcg per actuation, via spacer) followed by 4 ml of 7% HS via nebulizer. Participants will then start MCC scan data collection, and after 16 minutes of baseline MCC collection they will then complete 20 minutes of moderate intensity exercise according to the Borg RPE on a cycle ergometer. After 20 minutes, MCC scan will resume to continue to measure rates of clearance following HS pretreatment and exercise. | Other | Exercise with and without HS pretreatment |
Primary outcome
Whole Lung Total GLT
Time frame: Either Day 1 (Visit 2) or up to Day 28 (Visit 3) depending on randomization to sequence intervention
Through MCC scan with built in exercise protocol, the investigators will measure the effects of exercise on rates of clearance of radiolabeled isotopes from the lungs, thought to represent GLT. The investigators will measure the difference between retained particles from immediately before (after collection of 16 minutes of baseline MCC data through eight 2-minute images) and immediately after 20 minutes of moderate intensity exercise on a cycle ergometer (40 minutes after start of MCC data collection). This will represent Active GLT. The investigators will then resume measurement of MCC clearance rate by serial 2-minute image collection of the whole lung from 40 minutes to 70 minutes. This will represent Sustained GLT. The sum of Active and Sustained GLT will represent Whole Lung GLT. This measurement will occur at either Visit 2 or Visit 3, depending on visit sequence randomization.
Change in Whole Lung Total GLT after HS pretreatment
Time frame: Day 3 to 28, depending on timing of Visit 3
After pretreatment with levalbuterol and 7% HS, participants will undergo an MCC scan with built in exercise protocol. The investigators will measure the effects of exercise on rates of clearance of radiolabeled isotopes from the lungs, thought to represent GLT. The investigators will measure Active GLT and Sustained GLT after HS pretreatment, which taken together will represent Whole Lung GLT after HS pretreatment. This measurement will occur at either Visit 2 or Visit 3 depending on visit sequence randomization. The difference between Whole Lung GLT from exercise alone will be compared with the HS pretreatment Whole Lung GLT.
Change in Cough Clearance (CC) after HS Pretreatment
Time frame: Day 3 to 28, depending on timing of Visit 3
The investigators will measure the effects of exercise and HS pretreatment on rates of clearance of radiolabeled isotopes from the lungs during a period of controlled coughs at regular intervals. During Visit 2 and Visit 3 MCC scans, from minutes 70 through 100 of MCC data collection, participants will be instructed to perform 30 voluntary huff-cough maneuvers while serial 2-minute images are obtained. The change in clearance during this time will represent CC. At one of these visits (either Visit 2 or Visit 3 depending on randomization to intervention sequence), participants will undergo pretreatment with levalbuterol and 7% HS prior to the MCC scan with exercise protocol. The difference between CC after exercise alone and CC after exercise with HS pretreatment will be measured.
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 13 Jul 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No. The investigators will not share individual participant data (IPD) with other researchers to protect patient confidentiality.
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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.
Corinne Taylor contact
Katherine A Despotes, MD principal investigator
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Exercise and HS pretreatment with Exercise in people with Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia and PCD, run by University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill 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 4 inclusion and 15 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: opening soon, as of the sponsor's last update on 13 Jul 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?
Contact Katherine A Despotes, MD (919-966-1055, katherine.despotes@unchealth.unc.edu), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Whole Lung Total GLT (time frame: Either Day 1 (Visit 2) or up to Day 28 (Visit 3) depending on randomization to sequence intervention). The study lists 3 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
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 13 Jul 2026.