Clinical Trial: Study to Assess Safety and Efficacy of Fingolimod in Children With Rett Syndrome

Study Status: Active, not recruiting
Recruit Status: Active, not recruiting
Study Type: Interventional

Official Title: A Phase 1 Clinical Study to Assess Safety and Efficacy of Oral Fingolimod (FTY720) in Children With Rett Syndrome.

Brief Summary: The Trial Objective is to assess safety and efficacy of oral fingolimod (FTY720) in children older than 6 years with Rett Syndrome. So far there is no established treatment for children with Rett Syndrome. Therefore a positive result in terms of safety and first indications of efficacy would path the way to a phase II clinical study with more patients to further test the hypothesis that fingolimod treatment may slow down the regression of motor and language skills.

Detailed Summary:

Rett syndrome is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by normal early psychomotor development followed by the loss of psychomotor and acquired purposeful hand skills and the onset of stereotyped movement of the hands and gait disturbance. The gene was discovered in 1999 and the disease was found to be caused by a mutation of the methyl-CpGbinding protein 2 (MeCP2). However, in many ways this clinically peculiar condition remains a mystery, with no clear correlations between the gene mutation and abnormal biological markers, neuropathology and/or unique clinical symptoms and signs.

Rett syndrome is an X-linked (Xq28) dominant postnatal severe neurodevelopmental disorder which is the second most common cause for genetic mental retardation in girls and the first pervasive disorder with a known genetic basis. Its incidence is between 1/10,000-15000 live births. The classical variant is characterized by apparently normal development for the first 6-18 months accompanied usually with early deceleration of head growth, followed by period of regression of motor and language skills, hand stereotypes, seizures, autonomic dysfunction and other neurological and related symptoms.

Repeated observations and experiments of the mouse models in several laboratories led to the appreciation of the role of BDNF in the disease pathophysiology. BDNF is a neurotrophic factor playing a major role in neurogenesis, neuronal survival, differentiation, and maturation during early development as well as in synaptic function and plasticity throughout life. Abnormalities in BDNF homeostasis are believed to contribute to the neurological phenotype and pathophysiology in part of the symptoms in methyl-CpG binding protein 2(Mecp2) null mice that show progressive deficits in its expression during the symptomatic stage.

Same as current

Current Secondary Outcome:

Original Secondary Outcome:

Information By: University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland

Dates:
Date Received: August 27, 2013
Date Started: August 2013
Date Completion: July 2018
Last Updated: April 5, 2017
Last Verified: April 2017