ClinicalTrials.gg
RecruitingNCT05649098Updated May 1, 2026

Repurposing Dupilumab for Management of Pruritic Genetic Inflammatory Skin Disorders

An Early Phase 1 interventional study of Dupilumab in Skin Diseases, sponsored by Northwestern University. Recruiting at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 6 Months and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-05-01.

Sponsored by Northwestern University · Early Phase 1, Interventional, and Treatment

From the registry’s dates

  • Started Jun 2023; still recruiting 3 years 4 months later.
Phase
Early Phase 1
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
30
Allocation
Not applicable
Ages
6 Months and older
Sex
All
01

Study summary

Severe itch is a common symptom of many genetic skin disorders and leads to a negative impact on patient quality of life. The investigators hypothesize that: a) intervention with dupilumab will improve itch in patients with pruritic genetic inflammatory skin disorders, even those not recognized to be Th2-driven; and b) the administration of dupilumab will be well-tolerated, regardless of underlying genetic skin disorder. The total clinical study duration will be 26 months (104 Weeks). The treatment period will include a 16-week open-label phase and a 20-month long-term extension phase for those who qualify and wish to continue.

02

Conditions studied

  • Skin Diseases

Keywords

  • Itch
  • Pruritus
  • epidermolysis bullosa
  • ichthyosis
  • genetic skin disorders
03

In context

Skin Diseases

496 studies on the registry are indexed under Skin Diseases; 77 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 30 is below the median of 70 across 375 interventional studies indexed under Skin Diseases.

Browse Skin Diseases studies →

Lead sponsor

Northwestern University is the lead sponsor of 1,423 studies on the registry; 198 are open to participants now.

Of its 105 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 78 (74%) have results posted.

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

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
6 Months and older
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 > 6 months of age at screening visit
  2. Clinical diagnosis of a genetic skin disorder at the screening visit, ideally with genetic or histological confirmation.
  3. Must have had the gene with one or more variants identified by genotyping. If the genotype has not been performed or has not been performed at a CLIA-approved laboratory, be willing to provide a sample (saliva, buccal swab, blood) for genetic testing before starting the dupilumab.
  4. Average Itch Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) ≥ 4 and Worst Itch NRS of at least 5 during the previous 7 days (self-reported if >8 years old; proxy reported if under 8 years)
  5. Must be willing to provide information weekly about Average and Worst Itch/self- or proxy-assessed severity and wear the sensor device to track itch and sleep weekly throughout the first 24 weeks of the trial (Parts A and B).
  6. Must be willing and able to adhere to the prohibitions and restrictions specified in this protocol.
  7. Subject, parent/caregiver or legal guardians, as appropriate, are able to understand and complete the study requirements and study-related questionnaires

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Subjects \< 6 months of age at screening visit.
  2. Unable to provide or assent (or who do not have consent from a Legally Authorized Representative if \< 18 years).
  3. Diagnosis of ichthyosis vulgaris as the sole inherited disorder
  4. Used of dupilumab within 5 drug half-lives (105 days) of baseline visit
  5. Subjects who have used any of the following treatments within 4 weeks, or within a period equal to 5 times the half-life of the drug, before the baseline visit, whichever is longer:

    1. /immunomodulating drugs (eg, systemic , cyclosporine, mycophenolate-mofetil, IFN-γ, Janus kinase inhibitors, azathioprine, methotrexate, etc.), systemic anti-inflammatory medication, or phototherapy
    2. Other biologics: within 5 half-lives (if known) or 16 weeks, whichever is longer
  6. Initiation of topical or systemic retinoids, topical keratolytics, or topical anti-inflammatory agents within 4 weeks before study start/Part A (systemic retinoids and topical medications/emollients can be used during the trial if started at least 4 wks before the observation period and continued throughout Parts A and B). Note: Rescue therapy for disease flares or local infection will be allowed per investigator discretion but must be for no more than a total of 1 week during any 4-week period and, if topical, involve application to less than 10% BSA.
  7. Subjects with active infections or recent history of serious infections, or history of malignancies, or any severe, progressive, or uncontrolled renal, hepatic, hematologic, endocrine, pulmonary, cardiac, neurologic or psychiatric cerebral disease, or signs or symptoms thereof. It is recognized that patients with ichthyosis may have arthritis, while patients with junctional or dystrophic EB may have a variety of associated issues (eg nutritional, anemia, etc). The decision to include will be based on investigator's discretion but must reflect the likelihood for stable disease and lack of anticipated interference with assessment of itch.
  8. Treatment with a live (attenuated) vaccine within 4 weeks before the Week 0 visit when dupilumab is initiated; use of vaccination during the study requires consultation with the study investigator and primary care provider.
  9. Active acute or chronic infection requiring treatment with systemic antibiotics/ anti-virals/ anti-fungals within 2 weeks before the initiation of dupilumab (start of dupilumab can be delayed). Delay in initiation because of treatment with a topical antimicrobial to a localized superficial site will be determined by the investigator.
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(4)

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.

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.

Cancer (malignancy)

Malignancy means cancer. Criteria about another or earlier malignancy ask whether you have had a different cancer, usually within a set number of years.

Some are commonly allowed, such as treated skin cancers other than melanoma and early cancers removed completely — check the exceptions this study lists.

05

Study design

Phase
Early Phase 1
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
30 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Open-Label Dupilumab

    Drug: Dupilumab

Interventions

  • The treatment period will include a 16-week open-label phase and a 20-month long-term extension phase for those who qualify and wish to continue.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Change in Itch

    The Primary Objective of this study is to determine if dupilumab changes itch across a range of pruritic genetic disorders of the skin. At least 50% of patients achieving reduction by at least 2 points in Worst Itch NRS (minimal meaningful reduction in Worst Itch is 1-2 points) We will compare the average Worst Itch NRS during an 8-week observational period (not a static single point) with the average Worst Itch NRS during the dupilumab treatment period at Weeks 9-16 on dupilumab (by which time itch is maximally suppressed by dupilumab in atopic dermatitis trials). This will allow for the possibility of fluctuation in itch (which we also hope to capture in the Part A observation period).

    Time frame: 16 weeks

Secondary outcomes

  1. Occurrence of Adverse Events during Dupilumab Treatment

    Number of adverse events (AEs) and serious AEs (SAEs) through Weeks 16, 52, and 104.

    Time frame: 104 weeks

07

Study locations

1 of 1 sites recruiting
08

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on May 1, 2026, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
09

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT05649098
Responsible party
Amy Paller (Principal Investigator, Northwestern University) — Principal investigator
First posted
Dec 13, 2022
Start date
Jun 12, 2023
Primary completion
Jun 30, 2031 (estimated)
Completion
Jun 1, 2032 (estimated)
Last update
May 1, 2026

Study contacts

Northwestern Dermatology CTU
Contact
NUderm-research@northwestern.edu
312-227-6817
Amy Paller
principal investigator · Northwestern University

Oversight

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

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