ClinicalTrials.gg
WithdrawnNCT04373616Updated Oct 22, 2021

A Study of ACI-24 in Adults With Down Syndrome

A Phase 2 interventional study of ACI-24 and Placebo in Down Syndrome, sponsored by AC Immune SA. Withdrawn. Open to participants aged 40 Years to 50 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2021-10-22.

Sponsored by AC Immune SA · Phase 2, Interventional, and Treatment

Why this study was withdrawn
decision to proceed with an optimized study design and optimized vaccine formulation
Phase
Phase 2
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
0
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
40 Years to 50 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

This study is a prospective multicenter, placebo-controlled, double-blind, randomized study to assess the effect of one dose ACI-24 versus placebo over a 74-week treatment period and 26-week safety follow-up period.

02

Conditions studied

  • Down Syndrome

Keywords

  • Alzheimer related disease
  • Cognitive decline
03

In context

Down Syndrome

438 studies on the registry are indexed under Down Syndrome; 99 are open to participants now.

Browse Down Syndrome studies →

Lead sponsor

AC Immune SA is the lead sponsor of 8 studies on the registry; 4 are open to participants now.

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

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
40 Years to 50 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

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

  1. Male or female subjects with DS with a cytogenetic diagnosis being either trisomy 21 or complete unbalanced translocation of the chromosome 21.
  2. Age ≥ 40 and ≤ 50 years at screening.
  3. Elevated brain Aβ as evidenced by composite SUVR ≥ 1.25 on florbetaben PET scan assessed by central reading.
  4. Subjects, their legal representatives (if applicable) and/or their study partners in the opinion of the investigator, are able to understand and to provide written before starting any study-related activities.
  5. In the opinion of the investigator, subjects, their legal representatives (if applicable) and/or their study partners are able to fully participate in the study, be sufficiently proficient in the official languages(s) of the country they are living in, and be capable of reliably completing study assessments.
  6. Mild to moderate intellectual disability as per (DSM-5) classification.
  7. Subjects must have a study partner who has direct and regular contact with the subject and who is able to provide reliable answers to questions related to the subject, according to the study investigator.
  8. Subjects in preclinical stage of AD or with mild cognitive impairment due to AD.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Clinical diagnosis of AD dementia in DS as per International Classification of Diseases 10 (ICD-10).
  2. DSQIID > 20.
  3. Intelligence quotient score ≤ 40 (KBIT-2).
  4. Diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder or any other unstable/uncontrolled psychiatric or neurologic illness other than DS.
  5. Any unstable and/or medical condition likely to hamper the evaluation of safety and/or efficacy of the study vaccine (eg, severe and untreated obstructive sleep apnea, clinically significant reduction in serum B12 or folate levels, clinically significant abnormalities of thyroid function, stroke or other cerebrovascular conditions), as per investigator's judgement.
  6. Subjects considered to be unable to complete any study exams and assessments (eg, because of significant hearing or visual impairments or other disabilities), according to the investigator, and potentially affecting study compliance.
  7. criteria for drug or alcohol abuse or dependence currently met within the past 5 years.
  8. History or presence of uncontrolled seizures. If history of seizures, they must be well controlled with no occurrence of seizures in the 2 years before study screening. The use of antiepileptic medications is permitted.
  9. History of meningitis or meningoencephalitis.
  10. History of moderate or severe traumatic brain injury.
  11. History of cancer within the past 5 years other than treated squamous cell carcinoma, basal cell carcinoma and melanoma in-situ, in-situ prostate cancer, or in-situ breast cancer which have been fully removed and are considered cured.
  12. History of inflammatory neurological disorders.
  13. History of disease with potential for central nervous system involvement.
  14. Severe infections or a major surgical operation within 3 months before screening.
  15. History of chronic or recurrent infections judged to be clinically significant by the investigator and would potentially hamper the evaluation of efficacy and safety assessments.
  16. History or presence of immunological or inflammatory conditions judged to be clinically significant by the investigator.
  17. History of severe allergic reaction (eg, anaphylaxis) including, but not limited to, severe allergic reaction to previous vaccines, foods, and/or medications.
  18. Clinically significant abnormal vital signs including sustained sitting blood pressure greater than 160/90 mm Hg.
  19. Subjects who have donated blood or blood products in the 30 days before screening or who plan to donate blood while participating in the study or within 4 weeks after completion of the study.
  20. Subjects with diabetes mellitus with (HbA1c) levels of ≥ 8.0%.
  21. Any for lumbar puncture for those subjects consenting to the optional lumbar puncture.
  22. MRI scan at screening showing a single area of cerebral vasogenic edema, superficial siderosis, or evidence of a previous macrohemorrhage or showing more than 4 cerebral microhemorrhages (regardless of their anatomical location or diagnostic characterization as "possible" or "definite"). Evidence of space-occupying lesions other than benign meningioma of less than 1 cm diameter, more than 2 lacunar infarcts, or 1 single infarct larger than 1 cm in diameter. Screening MRI scan showing structural evidence of alternative pathology not consistent with AD and is considered to be at the origin of subject's symptoms.
  23. In the opinion of the site investigator, deviations from normal values for hematologic parameters, liver function tests, and other biochemical measures, judged to be clinically significant by the investigator.
  24. Subjects with a positive (HIV) test at screening.
  25. Subjects with clinical or laboratory evidence of active or C at screening.
  26. Subjects with positive syphilis serology consistent with active syphilis at screening.
  27. Clinically significant arrhythmias or other abnormalities on at screening (minor abnormalities documented as clinically insignificant by the investigator are allowed).
  28. Any vaccine received within the 2 weeks before screening, including influenza vaccine.
  29. Subjects with treated hypothyroidism not on a stable dose of replacement medication for at least 3 months before screening and having clinically significant abnormal serum T4 and/or thyroid-stimulating hormone at screening.
  30. Subjects who have been receiving any experimental drug with a less than 30 days or less than 5 half-lives of the drug, whichever is longer.
  31. Subjects being treated with any anticoagulants or antiplatelet drugs, except aspirin at doses of 100 mg daily or lower.
  32. Use of antidepressants (other than selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors/serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors at stable dose); antipsychotics (typical or atypical); γ-aminobutyric acid agonists (eg, gabapentin); or stimulants (eg, methylphenidate, modafinil). Stable doses of atypical antipsychotics or benzodiazepines are only allowed if this is not considered to influence the assessments, the safety, and the efficacy of the study vaccine according to the site investigator and the site monitor.
  33. Current use of anticholinergic agents for bladder dysfunction (eg, oxybutynin, tolterodine, darifenacin, solifenacin, trospium, or fesoterodine) or subjects who have received such treatments within a time period corresponding to 5 half-lives of the respective agent before screening.
  34. Chronic use of opioid analgesics. However, limited treatment duration for acute conditions until 24 hours before cognitive assessment is allowed.
  35. Current use of antihistaminic agents, especially of first generation. Limited use of second-generation antihistaminics for acute conditions is allowed if not anticipated to influence the cognitive assessments, according to the investigator.
  36. Current use of or immunomodulating drugs or their use within the 6 months before study screening. Current use of oral or their use within the 3 months before study screening.
  37. Previous treatment with ACI-24 or any other passive or active immunotherapy against AD and/or for neurological disorders (passive immunization within the 6 months before screening, active immunization at any time point) unless there is firm evidence that the subject was treated with placebo only, and the placebo formulation is not expected to induce any specific immune response.
  38. Use of acetylcholinesterase inhibitors or use of glutamatergic drugs (eg, memantine, topiramate, lamotrigine) if not on stable dose for at least 2 months before screening.
  39. Concomitant participation in any other clinical study using an drug.
  40. Female subjects who are pregnant as confirmed by serum testing at screening or who are planning to become pregnant or lactating.
  41. Female or male subjects not using a reliable method of during the treatment period and for 26 weeks (6 months) after the last administration of study vaccine.
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(14)

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.

DSM diagnostic criteria

The American Psychiatric Association’s manual of mental health diagnoses. DSM-5 (2013, revised as DSM-5-TR in 2022) replaced DSM-IV, and some studies still name the older edition. “Meets DSM criteria for …” means diagnosed by that edition’s diagnostic criteria, usually by a clinician in an interview.

Clinically significant

Judged by the study doctor to matter for your health or for the study. It is a doctor’s decision, so ask the study team if you are unsure whether something counts.

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.

HbA1c

A blood test of average blood sugar over the past two to three months, given as a percentage or in mmol/mol. 6.5% (48 mmol/mol) or more is the usual threshold for diabetes, normally confirmed by a second test.

Contraindication

A reason a treatment, test or procedure should not be given to a particular person, such as an allergy, another illness or a medicine they take.

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.

Hepatitis B tests

Hepatitis B is a virus that infects the liver. These are separate tests: HBsAg positive usually means a current infection (a recent vaccination can briefly cause it too); total anti-HBc (HBcAb) positive means an infection now or in the past; HBV DNA measures how much virus is in the blood.

Some studies accept a past infection if HBV DNA is undetectable, sometimes with antiviral medicine during the study. Check what this study allows.

ECG (electrocardiogram)

A recording of the heart’s electrical activity, taken with stickers on the chest, arms and legs. It takes a few minutes and does not hurt.

Washout period

A planned gap after a treatment, so that its effects can lessen before the study treatment or a study assessment. Ask the study team and the doctor who prescribed it before changing any medicine.

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.

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.

Investigational drug or device

A drug or device being studied in a clinical trial.

It may be new, or already approved and being studied for another use, dose or form. Criteria often leave out people who took part in another study of one within a recent period, commonly 30 days or five half-lives.

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.

05

Study design

Phase
Phase 2
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Quadruple (Participant, Care provider, Investigator, Outcomes assessor)
Enrollment
0 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    ACI-24

    Biological: ACI-24

  • Placebo comparator
    Placebo

    Biological: Placebo

Interventions

  • BiologicalACI-24

    injections

  • BiologicalPlacebo

    injections

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Number of participants with Adverse Events (AEs) assessed by intensity (mild, moderate or severe) and causal relationship (unrelated, unlikely, possibly or probably related).

    Time frame: from screening up to week 100

  2. Mean change from baseline in systolic and diastolic blood pressure (mmHg)

    Time frame: from baseline up to week 100

  3. Mean change from baseline in heart rate (bpm)

    Time frame: from baseline up to week 100

  4. Mean change from baseline in body temperature (degree Celsius)

    Time frame: from baseline up to week 100

  5. Number of participants reporting suicidal ideation or behavior using Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS)

    Time frame: from baseline up to week 100

  6. Number of participants with abnormal MRI results

    Occurrence of Amyloid-related imaging abnormalities (ARIA)

    Time frame: from baseline up to week 100

Secondary outcomes

  1. Change from baseline of composite standardized uptake value ratio (SUVR) assessed by amyloid PET imaging using florbetaben

    Time frame: from baseline up to week 76

  2. Change from baseline in anti-Aβ antibody titers in blood

    Time frame: from baseline up to week 100

  3. Change from baseline of amyloid-related biomarkers (Aβ1-40, Aβ1-42), total tau, phosphorylated tau and NfL in blood/CSF (in pg/ml) (CSF is optional)

    Time frame: from baseline up to week 100

  4. Change from baseline of brain tau load assessed by tau PET imaging

    Time frame: from screening up to week 74

  5. Change from baseline of cognitive performance using Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery - Paired Associates Learning [CANTAB-PAL]

    Score is a z-score ranging from -7.5 to 0. A higher score (eg., 0) indicates a better outcome.

    Time frame: from baseline up to week 100

  6. Change from baseline of cognitive performance using Cambridge Cognitive Examination - Down Syndrome [CAMCOG-DS]

    The total score ranges from 0 to 107. A higher score indicates a better outcome.

    Time frame: from baseline up to week 100

  7. Change from baseline in adaptive behavior (Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale)

    The composite score ranges from 20 to 140. A higher score indicates a better outcome.

    Time frame: from baseline up to week 100

  8. Change from baseline in Clinical Global Impression of Change (CGIC)

    The score ranges from 1 to 7. A higher score indicates a worse outcome.

    Time frame: from baseline up to week 100

07

Study locations

No study locations are listed for this record.

08

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: Undecided

No publications or documents are linked to this record.

09

Timeline

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
ElapsedEstimatedEstimated, not yet reached

Start is estimated for Oct 2021; primary completion for Apr 2024, 30 months later.

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

Registered
Apr 27, 2020
First posted
May 4, 2020
StartEst.
Oct 2021
Primary completionEst.
Apr 2024
CompletionEst.
Oct 2024
Last update
Oct 22, 2021
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 Oct 22, 2021, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT04373616
Lead sponsor
AC Immune SA
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
May 4, 2020
Start date
Oct 2021 (estimated)
Primary completion
Apr 2024 (estimated)
Completion
Oct 2024 (estimated)
Last update
Oct 22, 2021

Study contacts

Michael S. Rafii, MD, PhD
principal investigator · Alzheimer's Therapeutic Research Institute USC Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, San Diego, CA, USA

Oversight

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

Not currently enrolling

This study is withdrawn, as verified in Oct 2021. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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Discussion

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