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CompletedNCT00500812Updated Apr 14, 2016

A Safety Study for Cethrin (BA-210) in the Treatment of Acute Thoracic and Cervical Spinal Cord Injuries

A Phase 1/2 interventional study of Cethrin in Spinal Cord Injury, sponsored by Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated. Completed at 8 sites in 2 countries. Open to participants aged 16 Years to 70 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2016-04-14.

Sponsored by Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated · Phase 1/2, Interventional, and Treatment

Phase
Phase 1/2
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
48
Allocation
Non-randomized
Ages
16 Years to 70 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

This trial is a multi-center, open-label, dose-escalation study designed to evaluate the safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics of Cethrin in two types of spinal cord injury patients: those with a complete cervical injury or a complete thoracic injury. Dose levels from 0.3 mg - 9 mg of Cethrin will be administered.

02

Conditions studied

  • Spinal Cord Injury

Keywords

  • biologic drug
  • transport sequence
  • rho
  • spinal cord injury
  • paralysis
  • paraplegia
  • tetraplegia
  • quadraplegia
  • trauma
  • nervous system
  • fibrin sealant
  • neurosurgery
03

In context

Spinal Cord Injuries

1,948 studies on the registry are indexed under Spinal Cord Injuries; 505 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 48 is above the median of 24 across 1,566 interventional studies indexed under Spinal Cord Injuries.

Browse Spinal Cord Injuries studies →

Lead sponsor

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated is the lead sponsor of 243 studies on the registry; 19 are open to participants now.

Of its 102 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 49 (48%) have results posted.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
16 Years to 70 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

Patients will be enrolled in this study only if they meet all of the following criteria:

  • Informed Consent Form signed by the patient or patient's legal representative.
  • Male or female, aged 16-70 years, inclusive.
  • For Group 1, patients with acute thoracic (T2-T12) spinal cord injury; for Group 2, patients with acute cervical (C4-T1) spinal cord injury. The site of surgery should be able to accommodate a minimum volume of 2 mL of fibrin sealant.
  • Scheduled to undergo spinal decompression surgery or other interventional spinal surgery (e.g., fixation) within 7 days of injury.
  • ASIA Impairment Scale grade of A (complete, no motor or sensory function present in the sacral segment) as assessed within 12 hours before surgery.
  • Able to communicate effectively to obtain informed consent and to ensure neurological examination.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

Patients will not be enrolled in this study if they meet one of the following criteria:

  • Use of any experimental drug, or participation in any clinical trial, within 30 days prior to surgery.
  • History of adverse reaction to fibrin sealant.
  • History of hypersensitivity to bovine products.
  • Any medical condition that may interfere with the ASIA assessments.
  • Clinically significant neurological, cardiac, respiratory, hepatic, or renal disease or malignancy.
  • Hemophilia or other bleeding abnormality as defined by:

    • Platelet level lower than 100 X 109/L
    • Activated partial thromboplastin time or international normalized ratio higher than the upper limit of normal
    • Baseline hematocrit lower than 0.25
  • Gunshot wound as the presenting injury, or any evidence of transecting injury to the spinal cord (e.g., by stab wound).
  • Cognitive impairment which may preclude accurate neurological assessments (e.g. traumatic head injury with GCS of less than or equal to 14).
  • Ankylosing Spondylitis.
  • Diabetes mellitus requiring insulin therapy.
  • Known immunodeficiency, including Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome or use of immunosuppressive or cancer chemotherapeutic drugs.
  • Pregnancy or breastfeeding during the study. A serum pregnancy test will be performed at Screening for female patients of childbearing potential. In addition, patients who are considered likely to be pregnant may be excluded at th Investigator's discretion.
  • Any condition or situation likely to cause the patient to be unable or unwilling to participate in study procedures or participate in all scheduled study assessments, including follow up through Month 6.
  • Any condition likely to result in the patient's death within the next 6 Months.
  • Any other condition that, in the opinion of the Investigator, would preclude the patient's participation in the study.
  • Previous participation in this study.
  • Use of intravenous heparin in previous 48 hours, thrombolytics and/or aspirin containing products in the previous 10 days.
  • Non-traumatic causes of spinal cord injury (e.g. transverse myelitis, acute disc herniation, etc...).
05

Study design

Phase
Phase 1 / Phase 2
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Non-randomized
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
48 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    0.3 mg

    Subjects Receiving 0.3 mg Cethrin

    Drug: Cethrin

  • Experimental
    1 mg

    Subjects receiving 1 mg Cethrin

    Drug: Cethrin

  • Experimental
    3 mg

    Subjects receiving 3 mg Cethrin

    Drug: Cethrin

  • Experimental
    6 mg

    Subjects receiving 6 mg Cethrin

    Drug: Cethrin

  • Experimental
    9 mg

    Subjects receiving 9 mg Cethrin

    Drug: Cethrin

Interventions

  • DrugCethrin

    Also known as: (BA-210)

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. The primary goal of this study is to determine the safety and tolerability of Cethrin when administered in conjunction with fibrin sealant to the dura mater of the spinal cord.

    Time frame: Prestudy, 24-72 hrs, 6 weeks, 3, 6 & 12 months

Secondary outcomes

  1. Efficacy by AIS

    Time frame: Pre-study, 24-72 hrs, 6 weeks, 3, 6 & 12 months

07

Study locations

8 sites
  • St. Joseph's Hospital & Medical Center
    Phoenix, Arizona 85013, United States
  • University of Cincinnati Mayfield Clinic and Spine Institute
    Cincinnati, Ohio 45267, United States
  • Thomas Jefferson University Hospital
    Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19107, United States
  • Univ.of Virginia Health System
    Charlottesville, Virginia 22908, United States
  • University of Washington Harborview Medical Center
    Seattle, Washington 98104, United States
  • Sunnybrooke Health Sciences Centre
    Toronto, Ontario M4N3M5, Canada
  • Toronto Western Hospital
    Toronto, Ontario M5T2S8, Canada
  • Hopital du Sacre-Coeur de Montreal
    Montreal, Quebec H4J1C5, Canada
08

References and documents

Publications

  • McKerracher L, Anderson KD. Analysis of recruitment and outcomes in the phase I/IIa Cethrin clinical trial for acute spinal cord injury. J Neurotrauma. 2013 Nov 1;30(21):1795-804. doi: 10.1089/neu.2013.2909. Epub 2013 Oct 1. PubMed 23844986 ↗
  • Fehlings MG, Theodore N, Harrop J, Maurais G, Kuntz C, Shaffrey CI, Kwon BK, Chapman J, Yee A, Tighe A, McKerracher L. A phase I/IIa clinical trial of a recombinant Rho protein antagonist in acute spinal cord injury. J Neurotrauma. 2011 May;28(5):787-96. doi: 10.1089/neu.2011.1765. PubMed 21381984 ↗
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Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Apr 14, 2016, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
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Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT00500812
Lead sponsor
Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Jul 13, 2007
Start date
Feb 2005
Primary completion
Dec 2008
Completion
Feb 2009
Last update
Apr 14, 2016

Study contacts

Michael J. Fehlings, MD, PhD, FRCSC, FACS
principal investigator · Univestity Health Network, Toronto Western

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
Yes
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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