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RecruitingNCT03087253Updated Mar 19, 2026

The LD Lync Study - Natural History Study of Lipodystrophy Syndromes

An observational study in Lipodystrophy (Genetic or Acquired, Non HIV), sponsored by University of Michigan. Recruiting at 4 sites in 3 countries. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-03-19.

Sponsored by University of Michigan · Observational

Study type
Observational
Model
Cohort
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrollment
500
Sex
All
01

Study summary

Genetic lipodystrophy syndromes are extremely rare, orphan diseases with overall estimated prevalence of less than 2,000 in the United States. These rare disorders characterized by selective loss of adipose tissue and predisposition to insulin resistance and its metabolic complications diabetes, dyslipidemia and hepatic steatosis. Due to these metabolic problems, atherosclerotic vascular disease, recurrent episodes of acute pancreatitis, cirrhosis and other morbidities complicate the lives of these patients.

In the last few years, several genes for CGL (AGPAT2, BSCL2, CAV1 and PTRF); FPL (LMNA, PPARG, AKT2, CIDEC, LIPE, PLIN1, PCYT1A and ADRA2A); MAD (LMNA and ZMPSTE24); APS (LMNA); autoinflammatory (PSMB8); NPS (FBN1, CAV1); SHORT syndrome (PIK3R1); and MDP syndrome (POLD1) have been identified. However, there is paucity of information about the natural history of these rare syndromes, especially genotype-specific causes of morbidity and mortality.

To overcome the problems outlined above, this multicenter, collaborative, prospective, observational natural history cohort study will be conducted on approximately 500 patients with genetic or acquired lipodystrophy syndromes. Patients will be assessed on a yearly basis for approximately 5 to 7 years to collect robust clinical, metabolic, morbidity and mortality data. Medical history and patient questionnaires will be completed on a yearly basis by patients registered in the study. Clinical data such as vitals, laboratory results and anthropometric measurements will also be collected from patients' medical records if available.

02

Conditions studied

  • Lipodystrophy (Genetic or Acquired, Non HIV)

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03

Who can participate

Ages eligible
Child (0–17), Adult (18–64), Older adult (65+)
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No
Sampling method
Non-probability sample

Study population

Patients with a clinical diagnosis of genetic or acquired lipodystrophy

Inclusion criteria

  • Clinical diagnosis of genetic or acquired lipodystrophy Supportive data: 1) Presence of biallelic known disease-causing variants in the genes for autosomal recessive lipodystrophy syndromes; 2) Presence of a known (or de novo loss of function) disease-causing variant in the genes for autosomal dominant lipodystrophy syndromes; or 3) Clinical supportive data based on morphological criteria together with metabolic abnormalities.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • HIV-infected patients with lipodystrophy
  • Drug-induced lipodystrophy
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Study design

Observational model
Cohort
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrollment
500 participants (estimated)
Target follow-up
16 Years
Patient registry
Yes
05

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Prevalence of diabetes mellitus

    Number of subjects with diabetes mellitus or who develop diabetes mellitus

    Time frame: 4 years

Secondary outcomes

  1. Prevalence of severe hypertriglyceridemia

    Number of subjects with severe hypertriglyceridemia (greater than 500 md/dL) or who develop severe hypertriglyceridemia

    Time frame: 4 years

  2. Incidence of severe morbidities and causes of mortality

    Incidence of severe morbidities (acute pancreatitis, congestive heart failure, cirrhosis, liver failure) and causes of mortality in subjects

    Time frame: 4 years

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Study locations

4 of 4 sites recruiting
  • National Institutes of Health
    Bethesda, Maryland 20892, United States
    Recruiting
  • University of Michigan
    Ann Arbor, Michigan 48105, United States
    Recruiting
  • Federal University of Ceará
    Fortaleza, Ceará 60.430-370, Brazil
    Recruiting
  • Izmir Biomedicine and Genome Center
    Izmir, 35380, Turkey (Türkiye)
    Recruiting
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References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

No publications or documents are linked to this record.

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Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT03087253
Lead sponsor
University of Michigan
Responsible party
Elif Oral (Professor of Medicine, University of Michigan) — Principal investigator
First posted
Mar 22, 2017
Start date
Feb 27, 2018
Primary completion
Mar 2034 (estimated)
Completion
Mar 2034 (estimated)
Last update
Mar 19, 2026

Study contacts

Adam Neidert, M.S.
Contact
aneidert@med.umich.edu
734-615-0539
Elif Oral, M.D.
Contact
eliforal@med.umich.edu
734-615-7271
Elif A Oral, MD
principal investigator · Professor of Medicine

Oversight

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

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