An observational study in Lipodystrophy, Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes, sponsored by University Hospital, Lille. Completed at 5 sites in France. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 65 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-05-14.
Sponsored by University Hospital, Lille · Observational
White adipose tissue-related diseases spread from excess (obesity) to lack (lipoatrophies) through aberrant distribution (lipodystrophies), these 3 different disorders being paradoxically able to induce a metabolic insulin resistance syndrome. The respective part of quantitative and qualitative anomalies of adipose tissue, gluco- and lipo-toxicity, liver and muscle insulin resistance, low-grade fat inflammation and immune alterations are not perfectly understood in the metabolic syndrome yet. Therefore, the aim of this study is to assess different cytokines, especially interleukin 7, and metabolic parameters as well as fat mass distribution with DEXA and RMN, in different models of fat distribution, including normal-weight, obese and lipodystrophic patients. A plasma serum, gene and adipose tissue bank will be constituted at the same time to improve our knowledge in disorders linking fat mass, insulin resistance and immunity, especially in lipodystrophies, a rare monogenic model of insulin resistance.
Rational: In reason of its ability to store fatty acids and to secrete numerous pro-inflammatory cytokines, the adipocyte appears as a key cell in the regulation of energy metabolism and immune response. Moreover, it has been recently shown that adipocytes play a role in the recruitment of cells involved in innate and adaptive immunity in adipose tissue.
White adipose tissue-related diseases are numerous, spreading from excess (obesity) to a complete (lipoatrophies) or partial lack (lipodystrophies), these 3 different disorders being paradoxically able to induce a metabolic insulin resistance syndrome.
Among the involved cytokines, interleukin-7 (IL-7), mostly known for its immune functions, also participates to the quantitative and qualitative balance of fat mass. Thus, IL-7 over-expression in an animal model induces a lipodystrophic syndrome with insulin resistance whereas in humans, a preliminary study shows that LMNA-linked lipodystrophies are associated with an increase of blood IL-7 levels. IL-7 also participates to reactivation of autoimmunity in patients suffering from auto-immune type 1 after islet transplantation.
Therefore, the aim of this study is to assess different cytokines, especially interleukin 7, and metabolic parameters levels as well as fat mass distribution, in different models of fat distribution, including normal-weighed, obese and lipodystrophic patients. A plasma serum, gene and tissue bank will be constituted in order to improve our knowledge in disorders linking fat mass, insulin resistance and immunity, especially in lipodystrophies, a rare monogenic model of insulin resistance.
Patients: The included patients correspond to subjects of either normal body weight, or obese, or suffering from lipodystrophic syndrome, whatever their type 2 diabetes status.
Methods: Blood IL-7 levels, other immune and/or pro-inflammatory cytokines, lymphocytes immuno-phenotype as well as metabolic parameters will be characterized. Fat mass will be assessed with non-invasive methods (DEXA and RMN). A plasma, serum and gene bank will be constituted. As well as an adipose tissue bank in patients who will have a surgery (especially plastic surgery in lipodystrophic patients), in order to cryo-preserve it and to define the inflammatory status of this tissue thanks to histological and molecular analysis.
Main judgment criteria: The main judgment criteria will be IL-7 blood levels in the different groups according to fat mass and metabolic parameters. The hypothesis is that in humans the quantitative and /or qualitative disturbances of adipose tissue are associated with an increase of IL-7 levels and the development of insulin-resistance.
Awaited results and possible implications: this study will allow to better delineate the immune and inflammatory component associated with alterations of fat mass distribution and glucose metabolism. Our approach combining clinical investigation and ex vivo and laboratory analysis is original and should allow to better understand the cellular mechanisms responsible for the inflammatory process originated in white adipose tissue and accompanying the disorders of this tissue- more especially lipodystrophic syndromes - opening new therapeutic perspectives in common human diseases (obesity, diabetes) on the one hand, and a rare disease (lipodystrophy) on the other hand.
139 studies on the registry are indexed under Lipodystrophy; 10 are open to participants now.
This study's enrollment of 126 is above the median of 104 across 34 observational studies indexed under Lipodystrophy.
Browse Lipodystrophy studies →University Hospital, Lille is the lead sponsor of 631 studies on the registry; 142 are open to participants now.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
Patients with lipodystrophy : Endocrinology Departments of Lille , Amiens, Caen, Rouen and Reims University hospitals.
Obese (diabetics and non diabetics) and normal weight patients : Endocrinology - Metabolism, Endocrine Surgery and Nutrition Departments, Lille University Hospital
Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
Exclusion Criteria:
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.
Weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared. Example: 70 kg and 1.75 m gives 70 ÷ (1.75 × 1.75) ≈ 22.9.
What counts as overweight or obesity differs between countries (some use lower cut-offs), so go by the range the study states.
Anti-inflammatory medicines such as prednisone, prednisolone and dexamethasone — not the anabolic steroids used for muscle.
Studies differ in what they allow: check which steroid medicines, routes (tablets, injections, creams, inhalers, eye drops) and doses this study accepts.
A weakened immune system. It can come from an illness, such as HIV or some blood cancers, or from medicines that turn the immune system down, for example after an organ transplant or for an autoimmune disease; steroids at higher doses count.
Read whether the line is about a condition or about medicines, and which medicines and doses it means.
A condition in which the immune system attacks the body’s own tissues, such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, psoriasis, type 1 diabetes or inflammatory bowel disease.
Immunotherapy studies often leave out active autoimmune disease, and some name exceptions, such as thyroid disease on replacement hormone. Check the exceptions this study lists.
Ways of preventing pregnancy. “Highly effective” methods fail less than 1% of the time a year when used correctly — for example an IUD or an implant.
Criteria usually say which methods count and how long to keep using them after the last dose, sometimes for male participants too. Some studies accept a partner’s vasectomy if it was confirmed successful and that person is the participant’s only sexual partner.
Hepatitis C is a virus that infects the liver. An HCV antibody test can stay positive after an infection has cleared (and is occasionally positive without one); an HCV RNA test shows whether the virus is there now.
After treatment, hepatitis C counts as cured when HCV RNA is still undetectable 12 weeks or more after the treatment ended. Studies often accept people cured this way.
The human immunodeficiency virus, which weakens the immune system.
Many studies now accept people whose HIV is controlled on treatment, judged by the viral load and the CD4 count. Check the limits this study sets.
BMI (body mass index)
Weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared. Example: 70 kg and 1.75 m gives 70 ÷ (1.75 × 1.75) ≈ 22.9.
What counts as overweight or obesity differs between countries (some use lower cut-offs), so go by the range the study states.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Corticosteroids (steroids)
Anti-inflammatory medicines such as prednisone, prednisolone and dexamethasone — not the anabolic steroids used for muscle.
Studies differ in what they allow: check which steroid medicines, routes (tablets, injections, creams, inhalers, eye drops) and doses this study accepts.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Immunosuppression
A weakened immune system. It can come from an illness, such as HIV or some blood cancers, or from medicines that turn the immune system down, for example after an organ transplant or for an autoimmune disease; steroids at higher doses count.
Read whether the line is about a condition or about medicines, and which medicines and doses it means.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Autoimmune disease
A condition in which the immune system attacks the body’s own tissues, such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, psoriasis, type 1 diabetes or inflammatory bowel disease.
Immunotherapy studies often leave out active autoimmune disease, and some name exceptions, such as thyroid disease on replacement hormone. Check the exceptions this study lists.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Contraception
Ways of preventing pregnancy. “Highly effective” methods fail less than 1% of the time a year when used correctly — for example an IUD or an implant.
Criteria usually say which methods count and how long to keep using them after the last dose, sometimes for male participants too. Some studies accept a partner’s vasectomy if it was confirmed successful and that person is the participant’s only sexual partner.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Hepatitis C tests
Hepatitis C is a virus that infects the liver. An HCV antibody test can stay positive after an infection has cleared (and is occasionally positive without one); an HCV RNA test shows whether the virus is there now.
After treatment, hepatitis C counts as cured when HCV RNA is still undetectable 12 weeks or more after the treatment ended. Studies often accept people cured this way.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
HIV
The human immunodeficiency virus, which weakens the immune system.
Many studies now accept people whose HIV is controlled on treatment, judged by the viral load and the CD4 count. Check the limits this study sets.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Patients with no overweight and no type 2 diabetes
patients with a lipodystrophy, most are diabetics
Patients with obesity (BMI \<30kg/m2), without diabetes
Patients with obesity (BMI \<30 kg/m2), with diabetes
Measure of blood Interleukin 7
Time frame: 1 day
measure of blood Interleukins 2
Time frame: 1 day
measure of blood interleukin 9
Time frame: 1 day
measure of blood Interleukin 15
Time frame: 1 day
measure of blood TNF
Time frame: 1 day
measure of blood IL-1
Time frame: 1 day
measure of blood IL-6
Time frame: 1 day
measure of blood IL-8
Time frame: 1 day
measure of blood IL-10
Time frame: 1 day
measure of blood IL-18
Time frame: 1 day
measure of blood leptin
Time frame: 1 day
measure of blood adiponectin
Time frame: 1 day
Blood count of monocytes/macrophages
Time frame: 1 day
Blood count of dendritic cells
Time frame: 1 day
Count of blood lymphocytes T
Time frame: 1 day
Plan to share: No
This study is completed, as verified in Feb 2017. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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