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RecruitingNCT03538639Updated Nov 9, 2026

Vascular Disease Discovery Protocol

An observational study in Vascular Dysfunction, Genetic Mutations and Genetic Predisposition, sponsored by National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). Recruiting at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 2 Years to 100 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-11-09.

Sponsored by National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) · Observational

From the registry’s dates

  • Started Jul 2018; still recruiting 8 years 3 months later.
Study type
Observational
Model
Case-control
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrollment
1,000
Ages
2 Years to 100 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

Background:

Some genetic diseases put increase the risk of heart and blood diseases, which are the number one cause of death and disability in the U.S. Researchers want to study diseases of the heart and/or blood vessels. They want to collect data and specimens from affected people, their family members, and healthy people.

Objective:

To study diseases of the heart and/or blood vessels.

Eligibility:

People age 2 and older who may have genetic disease affecting the heart and/or blood vessels Their relatives

Healthy volunteers

Design:

Participants will be screened with a medical history, physical exams, and imaging tests. Participants may have a few visits or visits for 2 weeks or more. This will depend on their age and disease status. Visits may include:

Photographs of the face and body

Heart tests

Samples taken of blood, urine, saliva, skin, and/or tissue

Scans. For some, a dye may be injected into a vein.

A six-minute walk test

Lung tests. For some, participants will blow into a tube. For others, they will breathe in a gas from a mask, have a small injection, then have a scan.

Stress tests while walking on a treadmill or riding a stationary bike

Ultrasound of veins and arteries

Devices outside the body testing the stiffness and function of arteries

Eye exam and eye tests. For some, a dye may be injected in a vein.

Blood pressure tests

Measurements of blood flow under the skin and in the arms and fingernail blood vessels

Devices outside the body testing flexibility of the blood vessels and skin, and skin temperature

Read the detailed description

The NIH provides a unique opportunity for research scientists to participate in the bench-to-bedside process, which is essential for the full implementation of translational medicine programs. The study of rare monogenetic and undiagnosed diseases is a complex bedside-to-bench-to-bedside endeavor. Recent studies show that rare genetic variants are more likely than common variants to have deleterious effects on protein structure, function, and/or expression, possibly leading to clinically relevant events. Studies of large patient populations offer the opportunity to identify rare genetic variants underlying human disease and will have impactful implications for human health. We propose to characterize the etiology and natural history of rare and orphan diseases with vascular phenotypes. We will also study rare genetic modifiers and identify novel disease mechanisms contributing to common vascular diseases. Subsequent disease-related protocols may be developed based on findings from subjects enrolled in this protocol for further intensive natural history studies and potential innovative therapeutic studies. In addition to its role in investigating individuals who are of interest to the Translational Vascular Medicine Branch (TVMB) of the NHLBI, this protocol can provide a possible avenue for admitting subjects from other NIH programs, such as the NIH Undiagnosed Diseases Program, the Center for Human Immunology Trans-institute program or other NIH protocols where subjects exhibit vascular phenotypes.

02

Conditions studied

  • Vascular Dysfunction
  • Genetic Mutations
  • Genetic Predisposition

Keywords

  • Etiology of Rare and Orphan Diseases with Vascular Phenotype
  • Natural History of Rare and Orphan Diseases with Vascular Phenotype
  • Pathophysiology of Uncommon Vascular Diseases
  • Undiagnosed Diseases
  • Rare Human Diseases with Vascular Features
  • Natural History
03

In context

Genetic Predisposition to Disease

241 studies on the registry are indexed under Genetic Predisposition to Disease; 95 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 1,000 is above the median of 500 across 154 observational studies indexed under Genetic Predisposition to Disease.

Browse Genetic Predisposition to Disease studies →

Lead sponsor

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) is the lead sponsor of 1,143 studies on the registry; 71 are open to participants now.

Of its 58 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 51 (88%) have results posted.

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

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
2 Years to 100 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
Yes
Sampling method
Non-probability sample

Study population

We expect to enroll an unlimited number of subjects. The study population will be divided into groups that reflect both the potential studies that may be performed in distinct groups and the risk to benefit analysis for these groups. The appendices at the end of the protocol describe possible procedures and risk profiles for all the study subjects. Vulnerable populations, including pregnant women, children and cognitively impaired persons, may participate in this study. The groups include: 1.Adult index cases (affected) and relatives (affected and unaffected) 2.Child index cases (affected) and child relatives (affected and unaffected) 3.Healthy adult volunteers

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.

Inclusion criteria

  • All subjects must be between the ages of 2-100 years old.
  • Affected pregnant women if they have been referred with a known or suspected pathology or if they become pregnant while on study.
  • Unaffected related pregnant women (including spouses/partners) for cord blood and tissue collection (surgical waste) only at the time of delivery.

Exclusion criteria

EXCLUSION CRITERIA:

  • Healthy volunteers unable to give
  • Healthy volunteers who decline to have blood drawn and/or tissue studies or who do not consent to have samples stored for future research.
  • Cognitively impaired individuals who are not affected.
  • Cognitively impaired individuals not related to affected subjects.
  • Unaffected unrelated pregnant women.
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(1)

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.

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
Case-control
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrollment
1,000 participants (estimated)

Groups and cohorts

  • 1

    Adult index cases (affected) and relatives (affected and unaffected)

  • 2

    Child index cases (affected) and child relatives (affected and unaffected)

  • 3

    Healthy adult volunteers

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Rapid initiation of new, disease-specific investigations to enable the collection of data and biospecimens on affected subjects, their family members and healthy controls, and to assist in the generation of diagnoses and further the understandin...

    Understanding of disease pathophysiology in subjects with uncommon vascular disease presentation.

    Time frame: ongoing

Secondary outcomes

  1. to improve diagnosis, identify biomarkers, develop outcome measures, create centers of expertise and provide the foundation for therapy development. Clinically indicated procedures may yield data that can be used to support or guide research obj...

    to improve diagnosis, identify biomarkers, develop outcome measures, create centers of expertise and provide the foundation for therapy development. Clinically indicated procedures may yield data that can be used to support or guide research objectives.

    Time frame: ongoing

07

Study locations

1 of 1 sites recruiting
  • National Institutes of Health Clinical Center
    Bethesda, Maryland 20892, United States
    Recruiting
    • NIH Clinical Center Office of Patient Recruitment (OPR) · Contactccopr@nih.gov · 800-411-1222
08

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: Undecided — It is not yet known

09

Updates

3 registry updates since Sep 25, 2026
Minor edits
Nothing that changes what the study is or who can join. Edited: verification date
3 updates, last Nov 9, 2026
Show all 3 updates
  1. Nov 9, 2026
    Minor edits only
    + 1 other change: verification date
  2. Nov 6, 2026
    Minor edits only
    + 1 other change: verification date
  3. Oct 26, 2026
    Minor edits only
    + 1 other change: verification date

From the registry record's own update history. This site started tracking changes on Sep 25, 2026; for anything earlier, see the record history on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT03538639
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
May 29, 2018
Start date
Jul 30, 2018
Primary completion
Nov 30, 2027 (estimated)
Completion
May 15, 2037 (estimated)
Last update
Nov 9, 2026

Study contacts

Ruth C Brower, R.N.
Contact
ruth.brower@nih.gov
(301) 443-6036
Manfred Boehm, M.D.
Contact
boehmm@nhlbi.nih.gov
(301) 435-7211
Manfred Boehm, M.D.
principal investigator · National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)

Oversight

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

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