ClinicalTrials.gg
RecruitingNCT06891703Updated Oct 28, 2026

[18F]ACI-15916 PET in α-synucleinopathies

An Early Phase 1 interventional study of [18F]ACI-15916 in Parkinson's Disease (PD), Multiple System Atrophy (MSA) and Dementia With Lewy Bodies (DLB), sponsored by AC Immune SA. Recruiting at 1 site in Sweden. Open to participants aged 20 Years and older, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-10-28.

Sponsored by AC Immune SA · Early Phase 1, Interventional, and Diagnostic

From the registry’s dates

  • Started Mar 2025; still recruiting 1 year 7 months later.
Updated Oct 28, 2026Primary completion movedStudy completion movedGo to Updates ↓
Phase
Early Phase 1
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
46
Allocation
Non-randomized
Ages
20 Years and older
Sex
All
01

Study summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to test whether we can reliably and safely measure the accumulation of pathological protein α-synuclein [involved in some diseases such as Parkinson's disease, Lewy body dementia and Multiple System Atrophy (MSA), collectively named α-synucleinopathies] using a new positron emission tomography (PET) tracer called [18F]ACI-15916. Both healthy people and people with (suspected) α-synuclein pathology will participate to this trial.

The main questions it aims to answer are:

  • whether [18F]ACI-15916 is safe and well tolerated when injected into participants
  • whether [18F]ACI-15916 reliably detects α-synuclein in the brain using PET technique.
  • whether there are differences in the amount of this protein between people with diseases related to α-synuclein accumulation in the brain and people without these diseases.

Participants will:

  • Visit the clinic to consent to their participation and to ensure they are eligible [physical and neurological examinations, questionnaires, blood and urine tests, ECG and in some cases a MRI and a PET scan with a licensed tracer ([18F]FE-PE2I) to confirm or not the disease].
  • Visit the clinic to receive the tracer [18F]ACI-15916 intravenously and be scanned in a PET scanner, during which blood will be collected (and optionally spinal fluid).
  • Receive a phone call from the clinic 1 week after the PET scan to report any symptoms and side-effects that they may be having.

Some of the participants may be asked to come again to the clinic for a second PET scan with [18F]ACI-15916, allowing the researchers to determine if the measurements with the first PET scan are stable and reproducible.

Some of the participants will participate in a specific part of the study to evaluate the distribution of the PET ligand in the whole body, with a similar visit schedule.

Read the detailed description

This is an open-label, first in human (FiH) positron emission tomography (PET) microdose study in patients with suspected α-synuclein pathology and healthy volunteers (HVs) using [18F]ACI-15916 as a novel radioligand. This study will be dedicated to qualification of the ligand [18F]ACI-15916 to measure α-synuclein pathology using PET investigations, including estimation of effective dose and test-retest reliability.

The study consists of four parts in which a total of up to 46 participants may be included:

  • Part 1: Up to 5 HVs and up to 5 patients with Parkinson's Disease (PD) will be included.
  • Part 2: Up to 30 additional subjects including: HV cases (maximum 10) and patients with α-synucleinopathies such as PD, Multiple System Atrophy (MSA) and Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB).
  • Part 3: Up to 10 participants from Part 1 and/or Part 2 will have a second PET measurement within one month after their initial PET measurement to evaluate test-retest variability and reproducibility.
  • Part 4. Up to 6 HVs (3 female and 3 male) will undergo a whole-body PET-CT examination to estimate the effective dose after one administration of [18F]ACI-15916.

The four study parts can overlap.

The study consists of a screening period of up to 60 days to assess participants' eligibility, a PET scan with [18F]ACI-15916 along with arterial blood sampling, and a safety phone call following the scanning visit. For participants in Part 3, a second PET scan with [18F]ACI-15916 will be performed up to one month after the first scan to evaluate test-retest variability and reproducibility, followed by a new safety phone call. For subjects in Part 4 (dosimetry), no arterial blood sampling will be performed. The total study duration will be up to 10 weeks for Part 1, 2 and 4 participants and up to 14 weeks for Part 3 participants.

02

Conditions studied

  • Parkinson's Disease (PD)
  • Multiple System Atrophy (MSA)
  • Dementia With Lewy Bodies (DLB)
03

In context

Parkinson Disease

4,573 studies on the registry are indexed under Parkinson Disease; 1,086 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 46 is above the median of 40 across 3,353 interventional studies indexed under Parkinson Disease.

Browse Parkinson Disease 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
20 Years and older
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
Yes

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. Subject is able to provide written , which must be obtained before any assessment is performed.
  2. Subjects must be able to understand and be willing to comply with study procedures, restrictions, and requirements.
  3. is > 18 and \< 31 kg/m2 and Bodyweight ≥ 50 kg and ≤ 100 kg.
  4. Female participants must not be of or agree to use highly effective methods of .
  5. For subjects receiving arterial cannulation, an adequate circulation to the hand for safe placement of arterial line (as determined by Allen's test).

    Additional Inclusion Criteria for Healthy Volunteers:

  6. Males and females aged ≥ 20 at the time of signing the informed consent.
  7. Normal MRI and DAT PET or SPECT (except for Part 4 participants), as judged by the investigator.
  8. The subject is, in the opinion of the investigator, generally healthy based on the assessment of medical history, physical examination, vital signs, , and the results of the hematology, clinical chemistry, urinalysis, serology, and other laboratory tests.
  9. No family history of α-synucleinopathy, including PD, or other early-onset neurological disease associated with dementia.
  10. No personal history of neurologic and/or psychiatric disorders.
  11. Have a (MoCA) score ≥ 26
  12. No cognitive impairment as judged by the PI or delegated physician.

    Additional Inclusion Criteria for Participants with α-synucleinopathies:

  13. Males and females aged ≥ 40 at the time of signing the informed consent.
  14. Subjects diagnosed with any of the following:

    • Idiopathic PD based on MDS criteria
    • PD with genetic risk factor (except some mutations as mentioned in exclusion criteria)
    • Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB)
    • Diagnosis of possible or probable Multiple System Atrophy (MSA)
  15. Evidence of dopamine transporter deficit on DAT PET or SPECT imaging performed either as part of Screening or previously acquired (if not older than 6 months) and of good quality as judged by the investigator.
  16. Medications taken for symptomatic treatment of α-synucleinopathy must be maintained on a stable dosage regimen for at least 30 days before the Screening Visit.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria for all Participants:

  1. Female subjects pregnant, lactating or breastfeeding.
  2. Presence of psychiatric symptoms that may interfere with the objectives of the study, as judged by the investigator.
  3. concomitant disease or condition within 6 months prior to screening, that could interfere with the conduct of the study, or that would, in the opinion of the investigator, pose an unacceptable risk to the participant, or compromise the scientific quality of the study.
  4. History of brain surgery or any neurosurgical procedures. Subject has received treatment with a drug, antibody or vaccine targeting α-synuclein.
  5. Known or suspected drug, alcohol or other abuse, or positive urine drug screen which may interfere with the study objective, as judged by the investigator.
  6. History of severe allergy/ or ongoing allergy/hypersensitivity as judged by the investigator.
  7. Subject is involved in the planning and/or conduct of the study (i.e. part of the study team)
  8. History of clinically significant cardio-or cerebrovascular, pulmonary, renal, hepatic, neurological, mental or gastrointestinal disorder or any other major disorder that may interfere with the objectives of the study, as judged by the investigator.
  9. History of and/or screening brain MRI scan (except for Part 4 subjects) indicative of, clinically significant abnormality including but not limited to prior haemorrhage or infarct or >3 lacunar infarcts, except changes consistent with α-synucleinopathies for PD, MSA, DLB patients.
  10. Subjects being treated with any anticoagulants or antiplatelet drugs, except aspirin at doses of 100 mg daily or lower within 2 weeks of the planned arterial cannula placement (if performed) for either the baseline or retest imaging.
  11. Screening supine blood pressure > 150 mm Hg (systolic) or > 90 mm Hg (diastolic), following at least 5 minutes of supine rest. If blood pressure (BP) is > 150 mm Hg (systolic) or > 90 mm Hg (diastolic), the BP should be repeated two more times and the average of the three BP values should be used to determine the subject's eligibility.
  12. Electrocardiographic () abnormalities of clinical significance as judged by the investigator. Screening supine 12-lead ECG demonstrating > 450 msec at Screening.
  13. Any to obtaining a brain MRI (except for Part 4 subjects), DaT-SPECT (except for Part 4 subjects) or PET (e.g., claustrophobia unresponsive to reassurance or low dose of an anxiolytic agent, metal implants not compatible with MRI or known hypersensitivity to the active substance or to any of the ) and ability to tolerate lying in the scanner for up to \~180 minutes.
  14. Previous exposure to radiation for medical, scientific or other reasons which could have a high negative impact on the research subject, as judged by the investigator.
  15. Treatment with any other therapy within 5 drug elimination half-lives or 30 days (whichever is longer) prior to inclusion in the study.

    Additional Exclusion Criteria for Healthy Volunteers:

  16. Current use of CNS active drugs, including antidepressant or neuroleptic medications is not permitted, anti-inflammatory drugs or sleep medications may be allowed at the discretion of the investigator.
  17. History of neurological disease/condition that may interfere with the objectives of the study, as judged by the investigator.

    Additional Exclusion Criteria for Participants with α-synucleinopathy:

  18. Medical history indicating a Parkinsonian syndrome other than idiopathic PD, including but not limited to, progressive supranuclear palsy, drug-induced parkinsonism, essential tremor, vascular parkinsonism, primary dystonia or corticobasal syndrome (CBS).
  19. Known carriers of certain familial PD gene mutations (PRKN, PINK1, DJ1, LRRK2), based on previous source documentation.
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(12)

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.

BMI (body mass index)

Weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared. Example: 70 kg and 1.75 m gives 70 ÷ (1.75 × 1.75) ≈ 22.9.

What counts as overweight or obesity differs between countries (some use lower cut-offs), so go by the range the study states.

Childbearing potential

Able to become pregnant: from the first period until menopause, unless permanently unable to through surgery (removal of the womb, or of both ovaries or both fallopian tubes).

Criteria for people of childbearing potential usually ask for a negative pregnancy test and for contraception during the study and for a time after it.

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.

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.

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.

MMSE and MoCA

Short tests of memory and thinking, each scored out of 30. Lower scores suggest more difficulty; criteria give a range, either to include people with memory problems or to leave them out.

Hypersensitivity

An allergy, or another reaction of the immune system, to a substance. “Hypersensitivity to the study drug” means a known allergic reaction to it — not every side effect a medicine can have.

QT and QTc

On an ECG, the QT interval is the time the heart’s lower chambers take to activate electrically and recover in each beat. QTc is that time adjusted for heart rate (QTcF by Fridericia’s formula, QTcB by Bazett’s). Some medicines lengthen it, and a long QTc can raise the risk of a dangerous heart rhythm.

The study may name a correction formula and a limit in milliseconds, often around 450–480.

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.

Excipients

The other ingredients in a medicine besides the active drug, such as fillers, colours or preservatives.

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.

05

Study design

Phase
Early Phase 1
Primary purpose
Diagnostic
Allocation
Non-randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
46 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Participants with suspected α-synucleinopathies

    The study population will be composed of participants with suspected α-synucleinopathies

    Other: [18F]ACI-15916

  • Active comparator
    Healthy volunteers

    The study population will be composed of healthy volunteers

    Other: [18F]ACI-15916

Interventions

  • Other[18F]ACI-15916

    \[18F\]ACI-15916 is an intravenously administered radioactive imaging agent being studied as a potential positron emitting radiopharmaceutical for in vivo imaging of α-synuclein deposits.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Number of participants with Adverse Events (AEs) assessed by severity (mild, moderate, severe, life threatening, death) and causal relationship (not related, unlikely related, possibly related or related)

    Time frame: From Informed Consent Signature (screening) to safety phone call after PET scan (i.e. up to 14 weeks in total)

  2. Number of participants with clinically significant changes in vital signs measurements

    Vital signs measurements will be performed after the PET scan is completed and will be compared with measurements performed before the injection of \[18F\]ACI-15916

    Time frame: During PET scan visit (i.e. at Day 0): before [18F]ACI-15916 injection and after the PET scan is completed

  3. Brain uptake of the tracer [18F]ACI-15916

    \[18F\]ACI-15916 uptake in relevant regions of interest of the brain will be measured with PET scan and the mean of each group (participants with α-synucleinopathies and healthy volunteers) will be calculated

    Time frame: At the time of the [18F]ACI-15916 PET scan (i.e. at Day 0): 0-93 minutes after injection

Secondary outcomes

  1. Assessment of simplified methods to quantify brain uptake of the tracer [18F]ACI-15916

    Reference tissue models will be used to quantify the brain uptake of the tracer \[18F\]ACI-15916 using an appropriate reference region in the brain. The mean will be calculated for each group (healthy volunteers and α-synucleinopathies)

    Time frame: At the time of the [18F]ACI-15916 PET scan (i.e. at Day 0): 0-93 minutes after injection

  2. Variability of the tracer brain uptake between two [18F]ACI-15916 PET scans (test/retest)

    The repeatability/reliability of the \[18F\]ACI-15916 brain uptake measures will be assessed by calculating the variability (percentage difference) of the tracer brain uptake between the first and the second \[18F\]ACI-15916 PET scan for each participant in study Part 3, and the mean will be calculated.

    Time frame: From the first PET scan (i.e. Day 0) to the second PET scan (i.e. Day 30)

  3. Radiation dosimetry after one [18F]ACI-15916 PET scan

    The radiation dose absorbed by relevant vital organs and the total effective dose will be measured for each participant of study Part 4, and the mean of scanned participants will be calculated

    Time frame: At the time of the [18F]ACI-15916 PET scan (i.e. at Day 0): 0-6 hours after injection

07

Study locations

1 of 1 sites recruiting
08

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: Undecided

No publications or documents are linked to this record.

09

Timeline

1 registry update since Sep 25, 2026
ElapsedEstimatedEstimated, not yet reachedDate before it movedWhere the date was before it movedSimilar studies: half by the dot; the band is the middle halfHalf of similar studies reached it by the dot; the band is the middle half, from a quarter to three quarters

Started Mar 2025 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for Dec 2026, 21 months after the start.

Of 127 industry-sponsored phase 1 interventional studies under Parkinson Disease, half reached primary completion within 8 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 3 and three quarters within 24. This study's planned 21 months is above that.

Counting every sponsor, half of 204 studies reached it within 19 months; a quarter within 5 and three quarters within 40.

Since we started tracking on Sep 25, 2026, the dates moved once, on Oct 28, 2026: primary completion Mar 2026 → Dec 2026 and completion Mar 2026 → Dec 2026.

Earlier changes are on the record history on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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

Registered
Mar 18, 2025
First posted
Mar 24, 2025
StartActual
Mar 20, 2025
Primary completionEst.
Dec 2026was Mar 2026
CompletionEst.
Dec 2026was Mar 2026
Last update
Oct 28, 2026
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.
Primary completion
Mar 2026→Dec 2026
Oct 28, 2026
Study completion
Mar 2026→Dec 2026
Oct 28, 2026
Show all 1 update
  1. Oct 28, 2026
    Primary completion Mar 2026→Dec 2026
    Study completion Mar 2026→Dec 2026
    + 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
NCT06891703
Lead sponsor
AC Immune SA
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Mar 24, 2025
Start date
Mar 20, 2025
Primary completion
Dec 2026 (estimated)
Completion
Dec 2026 (estimated)
Last update
Oct 28, 2026

Study contacts

AC Immune SA Clinical Trial Information
Contact
clinicaltrials@acimmune.com
+41 21 34 59 121
Andrea Varrone, Prof.
principal investigator · Karolinska Institutet

Oversight

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

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