CClinicalTrials.gg
CompletedNCT04541927Updated Dec 29, 2020

Better Delineation of BCL11B Related Phenotype and Epigenetic Signature.

An observational study in Intellectual Developmental Disorder and BCL11B Related Disorder, sponsored by University Hospital, Montpellier. Completed at 1 site in France. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2020-12-29.

Sponsored by University Hospital, Montpellier · Observational

Study type
Observational
Model
Cohort
Time perspective
Other
Enrollment
10
Sex
All
01

Study summary

BCL11B related disorder, also known as Gabriele-de-Vries syndrome, is mainly characterised by developmental delay (DD) and intellectual disability (ID), ranging from mild to severe, and neuroimaging abnormalities.

The aims of this study are first to better delineate the clinical phenotype, as well as the neuropsychological profile, and the brain MRI characteristics; and, second, to study the epigenetic signatures in a cohort of individuals with BCL11B intragenic pathogenic variants. This work will conduct to a MD thesis of a clinical resident geneticist in France.

Physician that will participate will fill an Excel sheet regarding the clinical and neuropsychological assessment. The investigators will be also happy to have either CD-ROM or a link to have access to the brain MRI data as well as a DNA sample with a minimum 0.5ug of peripheral blood genomic DNA. The investigators will gather the DNA in Montpellier genetic lab (Dr Mouna BARAT) and send the batch to the Dr Sadikovic' lab.

Between 2019 and 2020, The investigators have already recruited data from individuals with BCL11B pathogenic variants from several European and American genetic centres.

Read the detailed description

The investigators aim to better understand and delineate the genetic syndrome BCL11B (a.k.a. Intellectual developmental disorder with dysmorphic facies, speech delay, and T-cell abnormalities syndrome or IDDSFTA).

This genetic disorder was described in June 2017 in the American Journal of Human Genetics (PMID 28575647).

Since this first publication of 23 individuals carrying the pathogenic mutation BCL11B, another individual has been reported in the literature (PMID 30549423).

In addition, the first paper focused on the clinical description as well as the effect of pathogenic BCL11B variations in chromatin regulation.

The investigators are seeking to better define the phenotype of individuals with pathogenic variants of BCL11B, to better understand intellectual functioning as well as the strengths and weaknesses of intellectual functioning by collecting standardized neuropsychological assessments already performed such as WPPSI/WISC and WAIS. For this purpose, The investigators will gather clinical and neuropsychological data already carried out in the context of care.

The investigators also aim to gather the cerebral MRI scans already performed in order to better delimit the cerebral anomalies observed in individuals and if the sequence is adapted, The investigators will perform VBM studies.

Finally, The investigators will attempt to identify an epigenetic signature in this genetic disease. To this end, The investigators will collect genomic DNA from peripheral blood already collected for genetic analysis and send an anonymized batch of samples to our collaborator, Dr. Bekim Sadicovik. Dr. Bekim Sadicovik and his team will compare the epigenetic DNA methylation-type markers with the corresponding sex and age controls. If specific probes are abnormally methylated in BCL11B individuals, this will determine a disease-specific epigenetic signature. The investigators will then be able to propose an epigenetic signature for individuals with uncharacterized BCL11B variations (class 3, VUS). This method will make it possible to define whether the variation is responsible for the disease or not without going through functional analysis steps that are difficult to implement routinely.

The expected benefits are a better understanding of BCL11B disease, keys to neuropsychological rehabilitation, a better understanding of human brain functions, the possibility of proposing an epigenetic signature for people in whom it is not possible to decide whether a variation in the BCL11B gene is pathological or not

02

Conditions studied

  • Intellectual Developmental Disorder
  • BCL11B Related Disorder

Keywords

  • BCL11B related disorder
03

In context

Intellectual Disability

363 studies on the registry are indexed under Intellectual Disability; 103 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 10 is below the median of 200 across 114 observational studies indexed under Intellectual Disability.

Browse Intellectual Disability studies →

Lead sponsor

University Hospital, Montpellier is the lead sponsor of 1,244 studies on the registry; 225 are open to participants now.

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

04

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

Individuals with BCL11B intragenic pathogenic SNV (Single Nucleotide Variant)

Inclusion criteria

  • BCL11B intragenic pathogenic SNV (Single Nucleotide Variant)

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria:

  • no pathogenic SNV in BCL11B
  • no consent for the study
05

Study design

Observational model
Cohort
Time perspective
Other
Enrollment
10 participants (actual)
Patient registry
No

Groups and cohorts

  • BCL11B

    BCL11B intragenic pathogenic variant

    Genetic: Epigenetic signatures

Interventions

  • GeneticEpigenetic signatures

    Epigenetic signatures (Dr Sadikovic' lab, London, Ontario, Canada)

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Neuropsychological phenotype

    BCL11B related clinical and neuropsychological phenotype. Neuropsychological phenotype will be assessed using Wechsler scales. The phenotype of individuals will be assessed using a questionnaire sent to their geneticist

    Time frame: 1 day

  2. Measurement and comparison of the methylation of the cpg sites

    Epigenetic signature will be investigated by measurement and comparison of the methylation of the cpg sites

    Time frame: 1 day

07

Study locations

1 site
  • UH Montpellier
    Montpellier, 34295, France
08

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: Undecided — NC

No publications or documents are linked to this record.

09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Dec 29, 2020, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT04541927
Lead sponsor
University Hospital, Montpellier
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Sep 9, 2020
Start date
Nov 1, 2019
Primary completion
Dec 1, 2020
Completion
Dec 1, 2020
Last update
Dec 29, 2020

Study contacts

David GENEVIEVE
principal investigator · Department of Medical Genetics

Oversight

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

Not currently enrolling

This study is completed, as verified in Dec 2020. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

Follow this study

Get an email when the registry record changes — status, dates, results — or when someone posts here.

Sign in to follow

Discussion

Questions and observations about this study, from anyone following it. Not medical advice, and not a channel to the study team — their contact details are on the registry record.

Sign in to join the discussion. Reading takes no account; posting does. You choose a display name, and a pseudonym is the default.

Nothing here yet. If you are running this trial, taking part in it, or weighing whether to, this is the place to say so.

Start the discussion