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
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:
Participants will:
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.
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:
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.
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 →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.
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.
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:
No cognitive impairment as judged by the PI or delegated physician.
Additional Inclusion Criteria for Participants with α-synucleinopathies:
Subjects diagnosed with any of the following:
Exclusion Criteria for all Participants:
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:
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:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The other ingredients in a medicine besides the active drug, such as fillers, colours or preservatives.
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.
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.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
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.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
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.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
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.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
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.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
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.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
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.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
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.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
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.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
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.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Excipients
The other ingredients in a medicine besides the active drug, such as fillers, colours or preservatives.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
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.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
The study population will be composed of participants with suspected α-synucleinopathies
Other: [18F]ACI-15916
The study population will be composed of healthy volunteers
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.
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)
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
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
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
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)
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
Plan to share: Undecided
No publications or documents are linked to this record.
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.
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 ↗
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