ClinicalTrials.gg
SuspendedNCT01148550MITOHEPUpdated Jun 4, 2026

Longitudinal Study of Mitochondrial Hepatopathies

An observational study in Acute Liver Failure, Mitochondrial Diseases and End Stage Liver Disease, sponsored by Arbor Research Collaborative for Health. Suspended at 16 sites in 2 countries. Open to participants aged Up to 18 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-06-04.

Sponsored by Arbor Research Collaborative for Health · Observational

Study type
Observational
Model
Cohort
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrollment
90
Ages
Up to 18 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

The specific aims of this study are (1) to determine the clinical phenotypes and natural history of hepatic RC and FAO disorders, (2) to determine the correlation between genotype and phenotype, (3) to determine if circulating biomarkers reflect diagnosis and predict liver disease progression and survival with the native liver, (4) to determine the clinical outcome of these disorders following liver transplantation, and (5) to develop a repository of serum, plasma, urine, tissue and DNA specimens that will be used in ancillary studies. To accomplish these aims, the ChiLDReN investigators at clinical sites (currently 9 sites) will prospectively collect defined data and specimens in a uniform fashion at fixed intervals in a relatively large number of subjects. Clinical information collected from subjects and their parents will enhance the potential for meaningful research in these disorders. A biobank of previously collected subject specimens and DNA samples will be established for use in ancillary studies to be performed in addition to this study.

Read the detailed description

This study will be conducted as part of the NIH-supported Childhood Liver Disease Research and Education Network (ChiLDREN). ChiLDREN is investigating rare cholestatic liver diseases of childhood: alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (A1AT), Alagille's Syndrome (AGS), progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis (PFIC), bile acid synthesis defects and mitochondrial hepatopathies (all previously studied by the Cholestatic Liver Disease Consortium [CLiC]); biliary atresia (previously studied by the Biliary Atresia Research Consortium [BARC]); neonatal hepatitis; and cystic fibrosis liver disease, which is studied by a new branch of ChiLDREN known as the Cystic Fibrosis Liver Disease (CFLD) Network.

In this protocol, mitochondrial hepatopathies in children and young adults will be investigated. The focus will be on respiratory chain defects (RC) and defects of fatty acid oxidation (FAO). There is little known about the full spectrum of severity and long-term natural history of mitochondrial hepatopathies. Moreover, these disorders have not been subject to prospective, rigorous clinicopathological scrutiny.

02

Conditions studied

  • Acute Liver Failure
  • Mitochondrial Diseases
  • End Stage Liver Disease
  • Respiratory Chain Deficiencies, Mitochondrial
  • Disorder of Fatty Acid Oxidation

Keywords

  • neonatal acute liver failure
  • late-onset liver failure
  • cholestasis,
  • fatty liver,
  • liver dysfunction,
  • cirrhosis
03

In context

Liver Failure, Acute

96 studies on the registry are indexed under Liver Failure, Acute; 20 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 90 is below the median of 112 across 34 observational studies indexed under Liver Failure, Acute.

Browse Liver Failure, Acute studies →

Lead sponsor

Arbor Research Collaborative for Health is the lead sponsor of 19 studies on the registry; 5 are open to participants now.

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

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
Up to 18 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No
Sampling method
Non-probability sample

Study population

A total of 150 children and young adults with suspected or documented hepatic RC defect or FAO defect between birth and 18 years old from both genders and all races and ethnic groups that meet inclusion/exclusion criteria as defined above

Eligibility criteria

Subjects in Group 1 (Mitochondrial Hepatopathy group) must meet all of the following inclusion criteria:

  1. Children and young adults with suspected or documented hepatic RC defector FAO defect from birth to 18 years old (through 18 years).
  2. Both sexes, all races and ethnic groups.
  3. Participants must meet one of the following sets of criteria (A or B):

A. Potential subjects presenting with acute or chronic liver disease or acute liver failure but who have not had a liver transplant must meet one of Clinical Criteria 1 and one of Clinical Criteria 2 listed below:

  1. Clinical Criteria 1 (any one of the following)

    • 1.Acute liver failure, defined as severe liver dysfunction and either 1) >1.5 or prothrombin time > 15 seconds with encephalopathy or 2) INR > 2.0 or prothrombin time > 20 seconds with or without encephalopathy; occurring within 8 weeks of onset of illness; with no known underlying chronic liver disease, or
    • 2.Acute liver disease defined as elevated or ALT >1.25 and CK \<1000u/L or conjugated >2.0 mg/dl and >20% of total bilirubin, or
    • 3.Chronic liver disease defined as:

      • elevated ALT or AST (>1.25 ULN) for > 6 months, or
      • conjugated hyperbilirubinemia (conjugated [direct] > 2.0 mg/dl and > 20% of total bilirubin) for > 6 months or
      • clinical stigmata of chronic liver disease, including chronic hepatomegaly, clinical findings or complications of cirrhosis or portal hypertension, impaired liver synthetic function, intractable pruritus explainable only by liver disease or end-stage liver disease, or
      • abnormal liver histology including hepatic fibrosis or cirrhosis, microvesicular steatosis, canalicular cholestasis, ballooned granular red hepatocytes (AKA oncocytes), intralobular collapse/regeneration And
  2. Clinical Criteria 2 (any one of the following):

    • 1.Prior history of extra-hepatic organ involvement accompanied by any one or more of the signs and symptoms associated with mitochondrial dysfunction (e.g.

hypotonia, neuro-developmental delay, seizure disorder requiring treatment with valproic acid, nystagmus, cardiomyopathy, renal tubulopathy, bone marrow failure, myopathy, hearing loss), or

  • 2.Lactic acidosis (arterial blood or free-flowing venous blood level >2.5 mmol/L or >22.5 mg/dl at any age and increased lactate:pyruvate ratio [>25.0]) or
  • 3.Hypoglycemia (blood glucose \<45 mg/dl on any measurement) and hypoketonuria (\<1+ for urine ketones by dipstick on urine specimen obtained within 4 hours after collecting blood with low glucose concentration), or
  • 4.Abnormal acyl carnitine profile, or
  • 5.Documented biochemical (enzymatic) or genetic diagnosis

B. Potential participants who have undergone a liver transplantation because of acute liver failure or end stage liver disease due to suspected or confirmed mitochondrial hepatopathy; the transplantation may have been performed at a non-ChiLDREN medical center or at a ChiLDREN Clinical Site. Participants will meet Criteria 1 and either criteria 2 or criteria 3 below:

  • 1.Previous liver transplantation, AND
  • 2.Suspected mitochondrial liver disease, based upon meeting one or more of the following criteria:

    • Had a prior history of extra-hepatic organ involvement accompanied by signs and symptoms associated with mitochondrial dysfunction (e.g., hypotonia, neuro-developmental delay, seizure disorder requiring treatment with valproic acid, nystagmus, cardiomyopathy, renal tubulopathy, bone marrow failure, myopathy, hearing loss), OR
    • A prior history of lactic acidosis (arterial blood or free-flowing venous blood level >2.5 mmol/L or >22.5 mg/dl at any age and increased lactate:pyruvate ratio [>25.0]), OR
    • A prior history of hypoglycemia (blood glucose \<45 mg/dl on any measurement) and hypoketonuria (≤1+ for urine ketones by dipstick on urine specimen obtained within 4 hours after collecting blood with low glucose concentration), OR
    • A prior history of an abnormal acyl carnitine profile, OR
    • Documented biochemical (enzymatic) or genetic diagnosis of a mitochondrial disorder
  • 3.A documented (confirmed) mitochondrial disorder based upon the confirmation criteria specified in protocol.

Subjects in Group 2 (Suspected Mitochondrial Hepatopathy not meeting Group 1 enrollment criteria) must meet the following inclusion criteria:

  1. Children and young adults with suspected hepatic RC defect or FAO defect between birth through 18 years but who do not meet clinical inclusion criteria listed above for acute or chronic liver disease or acute liver failure.
  2. Both sexes, all races and ethnic groups.

Subjects in either Group 1 or 2 must not have any of the following exclusion criteria:

  1. Inability to comply with the longitudinal follow-up described below.
  2. Failure of a family/patient to sign the /assent document or the HIPAA authorization form.
  3. Known Medium Chain Acyl CoA Dehydrogenase deficiency (MCAD).
  4. Other known causes of liver disease.
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(5)

Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.

INR, PT and aPTT (clotting tests)

Blood tests of how long blood takes to clot. The INR is the prothrombin time (PT) put on a common scale; about 1 is usual for someone not taking a blood thinner.

Criteria often make an exception for people on a blood thinner such as warfarin, whose INR is raised on purpose.

ALT and AST (liver enzymes)

Two enzymes measured in a routine blood test of the liver. Higher levels can mean the liver is under strain or damaged. SGPT and SGOT are older names for ALT and AST.

Criteria usually give a limit as a multiple of the upper limit of normal (ULN), often higher when cancer has spread to the liver.

ULN (upper limit of normal)

The top of the normal range for a blood test, as set by the laboratory that runs it. Each lab prints its own range next to your result.

“≤ 2.5 × ULN” means the result can be up to two and a half times that top value.

Bilirubin

A yellow substance made when red blood cells are broken down, which the liver clears. A high level can mean a problem with the liver or the bile ducts.

Criteria often allow more for people with Gilbert’s syndrome, a harmless inherited condition that raises bilirubin.

Informed consent

Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.

You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.

05

Study design

Observational model
Cohort
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrollment
90 participants (estimated)
Patient registry
No

Groups and cohorts

  • Group 1

    Mitochondrial Hepatopathy Disease Group

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Listing for liver transplant

    Listing for liver transplant

    Time frame: Measured/assessed at baseline, 6 months, Years 1 through 10, and at time of liver transplant, liver or muscle biopsy or hospitalization for critical illness if applicable

  2. Liver transplantation

    Liver transplantation

    Time frame: Measured/assessed at baseline, 6 months, Years 1 through 10, and at time of liver transplant, liver or muscle biopsy or hospitalization for critical illness if applicable

  3. Involvement of other organ systems known to be associated with mitochondrial diseases

    Involvement of other organ systems known to be associated with mitochondrial diseases

    Time frame: Measured/assessed at baseline, 6 months, Years 1 through 10, and at time of liver transplant, liver or muscle biopsy or hospitalization for critical illness if applicable

  4. Death

    Death

    Time frame: Measured/assessed at baseline, 6 months, Years 1 through 10, and at time of liver transplant, liver or muscle biopsy or hospitalization for critical illness if applicable

Secondary outcomes

  1. Growth failure

    Growth failure (defined as weight or length Z-score for age \< -2)

    Time frame: Measured/assessed at baseline, 6 months, Years 1 through 10, and at time of liver transplant, liver or muscle biopsy or hospitalization for critical illness if applicable

  2. Worsening liver function

    Worsening liver function (defined as PELD \>10)

    Time frame: Measured/assessed at baseline, 6 months, Years 1 through 10, and at time of liver transplant, liver or muscle biopsy or hospitalization for critical illness if applicable

  3. Complications of portal hypertension

    Complications of portal hypertension

    Time frame: Measured/assessed at baseline, 6 months, Years 1 through 10, and at time of liver transplant, liver or muscle biopsy or hospitalization for critical illness if applicable

  4. Neurodevelopmental outcome

    Neurodevelopmental outcome

    Time frame: Measured/assessed at baseline, 6 months, Years 1 through 10, and at time of liver transplant, liver or muscle biopsy or hospitalization for critical illness if applicable

  5. Health related Quality of Life

    Health related Quality of Life

    Time frame: Measured/assessed at baseline, 6 months, Years 1 through 10, and at time of liver transplant, liver or muscle biopsy or hospitalization for critical illness if applicable

07

Study locations

16 sites
  • Children's Hospital Los Angeles
    Los Angeles, California 90027, United States
  • University of California at San Francisco (UCSF)
    San Francisco, California 94143, United States
  • Children's Hospital Colorado
    Aurora, Colorado 80045, United States
  • Children's Healthcare of Atlanta - Emory University
    Atlanta, Georgia 30322, United States
  • Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital
    Chicago, Illinois 60611, United States
  • Riley Hospital for Children
    Indianapolis, Indiana 46202, United States
  • Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
    Baltimore, Maryland 21287, United States
  • Washington University School of Medicine
    St Louis, Missouri 63110, United States
  • Mount Sinai Medical Center
    New York, New York 10029, United States
  • Children's Hospital Medical Center
    Cincinnati, Ohio 45229, United States
  • The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
    Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
  • UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh
    Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15224, United States
  • Texas Children's Hospital (Baylor College of Medicine)
    Houston, Texas 77030, United States
  • University of Utah
    Salt Lake City, Utah 84113, United States
  • Seattle Children's Hospital
    Seattle, Washington 98105, United States
  • Hospital for Sick Children
    Toronto, Ontario M5G 1X8, Canada
08

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: Yes — The data will be transferred to NIDDK at the end of the study.

09

Timeline

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
ElapsedEstimatedEstimated, not yet reached

Started Aug 2010 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for May 2029, 225 months after the start.

How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.

Registered
Jun 18, 2010
First posted
Jun 22, 2010
StartActual
Aug 18, 2010
Primary completionEst.
May 31, 2029
CompletionEst.
May 31, 2029
Last update
Jun 4, 2026
What these dates mean
Start.
When the first participant enrolled; while estimated, when the study expects to open to recruitment.
Primary completion.
When the last participant was examined or treated to collect data for the study's main question, its primary outcome. A study that stopped early gives the date its data collection stopped.
Completion.
When the last participant's last visit took place, for every outcome, secondary ones and side effects included: the end of the study. Often later than primary completion, sometimes the same day.
Actual and Est.
Actual means the registry says the date has happened. Est. (estimated) is a date the sponsor plans or expects. It can still move, and the sponsor is expected to change it to actual once it has passed.
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Jun 4, 2026, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT01148550
Lead sponsor
Arbor Research Collaborative for Health
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Jun 22, 2010
Start date
Aug 18, 2010
Primary completion
May 31, 2029 (estimated)
Completion
May 31, 2029 (estimated)
Last update
Jun 4, 2026

Study contacts

Ronald J Sokol, MD
study chair · University of Colorado, Denver
Ed Doo, MD
study director · National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
John C Magee, MD
principal investigator · University of Michigan
Lisa Henn, PhD
principal investigator · Arbor Research Collaborative for Health - Data Coordinating Center
Katrina Loh, MD
study director · National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Not currently enrolling

This study is suspended, as verified in Jun 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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