UPenn Observational Research Repository on Neurodegenerative Disease (UNICORN)

• ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04715399
• Recruitment Status: Recruiting
• First Posted: January 20, 2021
• Last Update Posted: January 17, 2023
• Sponsor: University of Pennsylvania
• Collaborators: National Institutes of Health (NIH); Alzheimer's Association; United States Department of Defense; National Institute on Aging (NIA)
• Information provided by (Responsible Party): Murray Grossman, University of Pennsylvania

Study Description

Brief Summary:

The aim of this study is to create a repository of both cross-sectional and longitudinal data, including cognitive, linguistic, imaging and biofluid biological specimens, for neurodegenerative disease research and treatment.

Condition or disease	Intervention/treatment
Frontotemporal Degeneration(FTD); Primary Progressive Aphasia(PPA); Familial Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration (fFTLD); Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis(ALS); Lewy Body Disease(LBD); Progressive Supranuclear Palsy(PSP); Corticobasal Syndrome(CBS); Posterior Cortical Atrophy(PCA); Alzheimer's Disease(AD)	Other: No intervention

Detailed Description:

The Principal Investigator (PI) at the University of Pennsylvania seeks to better understand neurodegenerative diseases and is continually expanding research efforts and collaborations regarding the factors which may contribute to these illnesses. Investigators seek to better understand the basis of neurodegenerative conditions by creating a multimodal repository, including: clinical data such as demographic characteristics, vital signs and motor scales; cognitive and speech data; neuroimaging data; and biological specimens with associated biofluid biomarkers and genetic data. Investigators pursue acquiring these data from neurodegenerative disease patients, people at risk for neurodegenerative disease due to a family history, and unaffected adults. Targeted conditions include frontotemporal degeneration (FTD), primary progressive aphasia PPA), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), corticobasal syndrome (CBS), familial frontotemporal lobar degeneration (fFTLD), non-amnestic variants of Alzheimer's disease including logopenic progressive aphasia and posterior cortical atrophy, and Lewy body disease. This study aims to collect clinical and cognitive data, imaging data, and biospecimen samples from people whose background can inform research and treatment for neurodegenerative diseases, and make these samples and data available to qualified researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and collaborating academic centers and industry partners.

Study Design

• Study Type: Observational
• Estimated Enrollment: 1000 participants
• Observational Model: Cohort
• Time Perspective: Other
• Official Title: University of Pennsylvania Centralized Observational Research Repository on Neurodegenerative Disease (UNICORN)
• Actual Study Start Date: May 29, 2020
• Estimated Primary Completion Date: May 30, 2070
• Estimated Study Completion Date: May 30, 2070

Groups and Cohorts

Group/Cohort	Intervention/treatment
Cross-sectional	Other: No intervention; No intervention
Longitudinal	Other: No intervention; No intervention

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures :

1. Status of progression - changes in neuropsychological tests. [ Time Frame: This is a natural history study-participants are followed from date of enrollment until death, withdraw, or funding is no longer available, or until 600 months have passed. ]
   The changes of neuropsychological tests (well known cognitive measures such as: Naming test, CVLT, MoCA, Oral Trails, etc.) in neurodegenerative diseases over time.

Secondary Outcome Measures :

1. Status of progression - changes in language processing. [ Time Frame: This is a natural history study-participants are followed from date of enrollment until death, withdraw, or funding is no longer available, or until 600 months have passed. ]
   The effect of changes in language processing (e.g. effortful speech, lexical-semantic representations) as categorized by impaired speech fluency, motor speech deficits and semantic memory deficits in neurodegenerative diseases over time.
2. Status of progression - changes in social disinhibition. [ Time Frame: This is a natural history study-participants are followed from date of enrollment until death, withdraw, or funding is no longer available, or until 600 months have passed. ]
   The effect of changes in social behavioral testing, which categorized by rule violation (social disinhibition) progression in neurodegenerative diseases over time.
3. Status of progression - changes in biofluids. [ Time Frame: This is a natural history study-participants are followed from date of enrollment until death, withdraw, or funding is no longer available, or until 600 months have passed. ]
   The change of disease status as categorized by biomarkers in biofluids in neurodegenerative diseases over time.
4. Status of progression -changes in Neuroimaging [ Time Frame: This is a natural history study-participants are followed from date of enrollment until death, withdraw, or funding is no longer available, or until 600 months have passed. ]
   The progressive changes of images in multimodal neuroimaging techniques in neurodegenerative diseases over time.

Biospecimen Retention:   Samples With DNA

Blood samples, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples, and saliva or buccal samples may be taken and stored for DNA, RNA and protein extraction and analysis at the University of Pennsylvania and/or research collaborators elsewhere.

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 Years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Sexes Eligible for Study: All
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Sampling Method: Probability Sample

Study Population

To better understand neurodegenerative diseases, the investigators will include people living with these illnesses, people at risk of developing these illnesses, and people without neurodegenerative disease who wish to contribute to science as controls.

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

This protocol will include 3 groups of people:

1. People with a clinical diagnosis of a neurodegenerative disease. such as frontotemporal degeneration(FTD), primary progressive aphasia(PPA), Lewy body disease(LBD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis(ALS), progressive supranuclear palsy(PSP), corticobasal syndrome(CBS), posterior cortical atrophy(PCA), Alzheimer's disease(AD), Parkinson's disease(PD)
2. People with a family history of neurodegenerative disease who may or may not be symptomatic, and may or may not be mutation carriers such as familial frontotemporal lobar degeneration (fFTLD) or familial ALS,
3. People with no known neurological disease who will provide control data.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Anyone who is under the age of 18.
• Anyone with a condition or in a situation which, in the Investigator's opinion, could confound the study findings or may interfere significantly with a person's participation, including but not limited to neurological, psychological and other medical conditions (such as cardiac, neurosurgical, infectious conditions).
• Individual participants may be excluded from some, but not all, study procedures for safety reasons when they have a contraindication or at the discretion of the Investigator. For example, persons with metal implants which are not MRI-safe will not be able to take part in imaging, and those on blood thinning medications may not be able to take part in lumbar puncture.
• Pregnant women; if a woman becomes pregnant during the study, research activities that may increase risk to the patient and the unborn fetus will be stopped until the end of pregnancy, at which point participation can be resumed.

Contacts and Locations

Contacts

Contact: Gillian Bradley; 215 349-5725; gillian.bradley@pennmedicine.upenn.edu

Contact: Salima Shah; salima.shah@pennmedicine.upenn.edu

Locations

United States, Pennsylvania

University of Pennsylvania; Recruiting

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, 19104

Contact: Gillian Bradley 215-349-5725 gillian.bradley@pennmedicine.upenn.edu

Contact: Salima Shah salima.shah@pennmedicine.upenn.edu

Sponsors and Collaborators

University of Pennsylvania

National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Alzheimer's Association

United States Department of Defense

National Institute on Aging (NIA)

Investigators

• Principal Investigator: David Irwin, MD; University of Pennsylvania

More Information

• Responsible Party: Murray Grossman, Professor; Founding Director, Penn FTD Center, University of Pennsylvania
• ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04715399
• Other Study ID Numbers: 842873; R01AG054519 ( U.S. NIH Grant/Contract ); P01AG066597 ( U.S. NIH Grant/Contract )
• First Posted: January 20, 2021
• Last Update Posted: January 17, 2023
• Last Verified: January 2023

Individual Participant Data (IPD) Sharing Statement:

• Plan to Share IPD: No
• Plan Description: Information about study participants will be kept confidential and managed according to the requirements of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). Only deidentified data will be shared. We will not share individual participant identifiable data with other researchers outside of the institution, unless the participant allows us to by signing a separate data release form.

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Drug Product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Device Product: No

Additional relevant MeSH terms:

Alzheimer Disease; Motor Neuron Disease; Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis; Aphasia; Neurodegenerative Diseases; Supranuclear Palsy, Progressive; Aphasia, Primary Progressive; Pick Disease of the Brain; Frontotemporal Dementia; Lewy Body Disease; Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration; Dementia; Brain Diseases; Central Nervous System Diseases; Nervous System Diseases; Tauopathies; Neurocognitive Disorders; Mental Disorders; Neuromuscular Diseases; Spinal Cord Diseases; TDP-43 Proteinopathies; Proteostasis Deficiencies; Metabolic Diseases; Speech Disorders; Language Disorders; Communication Disorders; Neurobehavioral Manifestations; Neurologic Manifestations; Basal Ganglia Diseases; Movement Disorders