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RecruitingNCT04925349MATRIXUpdated Sep 24, 2025

Modeling Macrophages Activation Pattern in X-linked Adrenoleukodystrophy, Metachromatic Leukodystrophy and Adult Onset Leukoencephalopathy With Axonal Spheroids and Pigmented Glia

An observational study in Adrenoleukodystrophy, Adrenomyeloneuropathy and Metachromatic Leukodystrophy, sponsored by Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris. Recruiting at 2 sites in France. Open to participants aged 15 Months to 60 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2025-09-24.

Sponsored by Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris · Observational

From the registry’s dates

  • Primary completion was expected by Aug 2026, 3 months ago, but the record still lists the study as recruiting.
  • Started Aug 2021; still recruiting 5 years 2 months later.
Study type
Observational
Model
Case-control
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrollment
100
Ages
15 Months to 60 Years
Sex
All
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Study summary

This study is a national, non-randomized, open-label, multi-site with minimal risk study in adult with adrenomyeloneuropathy (AMN), childhood and adult subjects with cerebral ALD (cALD), juvenile/adult metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD) and adults with leukoencephalopathy and axonal spheroids and pigmented glia (ALSP). 49 subjects will be enrolled with one blood sample collection during one of their medical follow-up visit.

This trial will evaluate the role of innate immunity to influence disease progression in X-ALD, MLD and ALSP, and if the mutations related to these leukodystrophies result in a specific immune response leading to the pathogenesis.

Read the detailed description

X-linked Adrenoleukodystrophy (X-ALD), Metachromatic Leukodystrophy (MLD) and Adult-onset leukoencephalopathy with axonal spheroids and pigmented glia (ALSP) are among the most frequent inherited leukodystrophies. X-ALD and MLD can affect both children and adults, while it is thought that ALSP onset exclusively during adulthood. These three diseases are characterized by phenotypic variability and poor genotype-phenotype correlation. In childhood forms of MLD and childhood cerebral ALD (C-CALD) a devastating cerebral demyelination and neuronal degeneration lead to a rapid neurologic degradation and premature death. Patients with the adult form of X-ALD (adrenomyeloneuropathy (AMN), 60% of males) display a progressive spastic paraplegia without brain involvement. However, 20% of AMN patients will also develop cerebral ALD. Patients diagnosed with the juvenile/adult (JA-) MLD form are affected by a progressive decline of their cognitive function, followed later by that of the motor abilities. ALSP patients present a rapidly progressive neurodegenerative disorder that impairs behavioural, cognitive and motor functions.

Several arguments support the contribution of the immune response and neuroinflammation in these three leukodystrophies. In X-ALD, activation of microglia (macrophages of the CNS) plays an essential role in the acute demyelination phase, where a severe inflammatory process occurs. In ALSP, the dysfunctional protein (CSF1R) is almost exclusively expressed in microglia. Even if MLD is not considered as a neuroinflammatory disease per se, microglia activation and increased inflammatory cytokines are observed in the brain of MLD patients and mice. Even if the most commonly accepted hypothesis is that neuroinflammation is caused by secondary activation of microglia following phagocytosis of myelin debris full of undegraded material, a primitive role of the inflammation due to macrophages (MAC) dysfunction has emerged in recent years.

MATRIX proposes to explore how disease-related mutations affect key components of MAC activation responses and how it reflects on their functionality.

02

Conditions studied

  • Adrenoleukodystrophy
  • Adrenomyeloneuropathy
  • Metachromatic Leukodystrophy
  • Adult-Onset Leukoencephalopathy With Axonal Spheroids and Pigmented Glia

Keywords

  • Leukodystrophy
  • Central Nervous System Diseases
  • Nervous System Diseases
  • Immune system
  • Neuroinflammation
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In context

Adrenoleukodystrophy

68 studies on the registry are indexed under Adrenoleukodystrophy; 19 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 100 is below the median of 120 across 19 observational studies indexed under Adrenoleukodystrophy.

Browse Adrenoleukodystrophy studies →

Lead sponsor

Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris is the lead sponsor of 3,592 studies on the registry; 1,033 are open to participants now.

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

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Who can participate

Ages eligible
15 Months to 60 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
Yes
Sampling method
Probability sample

Study population

Pediatric and adult populations. Both affected (C-CALD, AMN, A-CALD, MLD, ALSP), presymptomatic children carrying ABCD1 mutations (PRE-ALD), presymptomatic patient adults carrying CSF1R mutations (PRE-ALSP) and age-matched control subjects will be enrolled (N=10/group). Minor subjects (C-CALD, MLD, PRE-ALD and controls) will be included, based on childhood onset of C-CALD and MLD

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

Boys aged between 3 and 18 years (inclusive) diagnosed with C-CALD (elevated levels of VLCFA and leukodystrophy at brain MRI)

  • Boys or girls aged between 15 months and 18 years (inclusive) diagnosed with MLD (low ARSA activity and accumulation of sulfatides in urine)
  • Presymptomatic boys carrying ABCD1 mutations aged between 3 and 18 years (inclusive) (PRE-ALD)
  • Adult males or females aged between 18 and 60 diagnosed with MLD (low ARSA activity and accumulation of sulfatides in urine)
  • Males aged between 18 and 60 years diagnosed with AMN (elevated VLCFA and clinical symptoms of AMN without leukodystrophy at brain MRI)
  • Males aged between 18 and 60 years diagnosed with CALD (elevated VLCFA with leukodystrophy at brain MRI)
  • Adult males or females aged between 18 and 60 years diagnosed with ALSP (CSF1R mutation and leukodystrophy at brain MRI)
  • Presymptomatic patient adults (males or females) carrying CSF1R mutations (PRE-ALSP)
  • Children (15 months-18 years) without neurologic disease (no obvious neurological symptoms, normal neurologic examination)
  • Adults aged between 18 and 60 years without neurologic disease (no overt neurological symptoms)
  • obtained :
  • from the parents or guardian for children patients and children controls;
  • from subject himself for adult patients and adult controls.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Participation to a therapeutic clinical trial
  • Treatment likely to modify the immune system
  • Unable to have a blood collection (i.e. low level at the investigator's judgment)
  • Any other reason, to the discretion of the investigator
  • Children or adults without health insurance or social security
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(2)

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.

Hemoglobin (Hb)

The protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen. A low level is anaemia, which can cause tiredness and breathlessness. Measured in g/dL or g/L (9 g/dL is 90 g/L).

05

Study design

Observational model
Case-control
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrollment
100 participants (estimated)
Patient registry
No
Biospecimen retention
Samples with dna

Groups and cohorts

  • affected subjects

    * adult patients with adrenomyeloneuropathy/adrenoleukodystrophy * children with adrenoleukodystrophy * children with metachromatic leukodystrophy

    Diagnostic Test: Blood sample collection

  • control subjects

    * healthy children * heatthy adults

    Diagnostic Test: Blood sample collection

Interventions

  • Diagnostic testBlood sample collection

    blood sample collection

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Macrophages functionality - distribution of monocytes

    distribution of monocytes in the CD14-/+/++ and CD16-/+ classification using flow cytometry (% of CD14++/16-; CD14++/16+; CD14+/16+; CD14-/16-)

    Time frame: 2 years after blood collection

  2. Macrophages functionality - myelin phagocytosis capacity

    percentage of myelin high, myelin low and myelin negative cells using flow cytometry

    Time frame: 2 years after blood collection

  3. Macrophages functionality - HLA levels

    maximum fluorescence intensity for HLA markers using flow cytometry

    Time frame: 2 years after blood collection

Secondary outcomes

  1. Macrophages metabolic profiling

    Macrophages metabolic profiling (\>2000 metabolites) using liquid chromatography coupled to high resolution mass spectrometry

    Time frame: 2 years after blood collection

  2. Macrophages transcriptomic profiling

    Macrophages transcriptomic profiling (\>1200 coding and non coding genes) : RNA sequencing using NextSeq 500 Illumina (60 million single-end, 150 base reads ) and analysis (using FastQC, Picard-Tools, Samtools and rseqc softwares

    Time frame: 2 years after blood collection

07

Study locations

2 of 2 sites recruiting
08

References and documents

Publications

  • Miron VE, Boyd A, Zhao JW, Yuen TJ, Ruckh JM, Shadrach JL, van Wijngaarden P, Wagers AJ, Williams A, Franklin RJM, Ffrench-Constant C. M2 microglia and macrophages drive oligodendrocyte differentiation during CNS remyelination. Nat Neurosci. 2013 Sep;16(9):1211-1218. doi: 10.1038/nn.3469. Epub 2013 Jul 21. PubMed 23872599 ↗
  • Weinhofer I, Zierfuss B, Hametner S, Wagner M, Popitsch N, Machacek C, Bartolini B, Zlabinger G, Ohradanova-Repic A, Stockinger H, Kohler W, Hoftberger R, Regelsberger G, Forss-Petter S, Lassmann H, Berger J. Impaired plasticity of macrophages in X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy. Brain. 2018 Aug 1;141(8):2329-2342. doi: 10.1093/brain/awy127. PubMed 29860501 ↗
  • Berger J, Forss-Petter S, Eichler FS. Pathophysiology of X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy. Biochimie. 2014 Mar;98(100):135-42. doi: 10.1016/j.biochi.2013.11.023. Epub 2013 Dec 4. PubMed 24316281 ↗
  • Gieselmann V, Krageloh-Mann I. Metachromatic leukodystrophy--an update. Neuropediatrics. 2010 Feb;41(1):1-6. doi: 10.1055/s-0030-1253412. Epub 2010 Jun 22. PubMed 20571983 ↗

Individual participant data

Plan to share: Undecided

09

Timeline

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
ElapsedEstimatedEstimated, not yet reached

Started Aug 2021 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for Aug 2026, 60 months after the start.

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

Registered
Apr 15, 2019
First posted
Jun 14, 2021
StartActual
Aug 30, 2021
Primary completionEst.
Aug 2026
CompletionEst.
Feb 2027
Last update
Sep 24, 2025
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 Sep 24, 2025, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
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Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT04925349
Collaborators
URC-CIC Paris Descartes Necker Cochin
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Jun 14, 2021
Start date
Aug 30, 2021
Primary completion
Aug 2026 (estimated)
Completion
Feb 2027 (estimated)
Last update
Sep 24, 2025

Study contacts

Fanny MOCHEL
Contact
fanny.mochel@icm-institut.org
01 57 27 44 82
Christelle AUGER
Contact
christelle.auger@aphp.fr
Fanny MOCHEL, MCU-PH
principal investigator · Institut du Cerveau et de la Moëlle épinière
Violetta ZUJOVIC, PhD, CR1
study chair · Institut du Cerveau et de la Moëlle épinière
Caroline SEVIN, PhD
study director · Kremlin Bicêtre Hôpital

Oversight

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

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