Completed

dnaJ Peptide for Relieving Rheumatoid Arthritis

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What is being tested

dnaJ peptide

+ None-placebo
Drug
Who is being recruted

Rheumatoid Arthritis

From 18 to 85 Years
+15 Eligibility Criteria

See all eligibility criteria

How is the trial designed

Treatment Study

Placebo-Controlled
Phase 2
Interventional
Study Start: September 1999

See protocol details

Summary

Principal SponsorNational Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)
Last updated: July 31, 2007
Sourced from a government-validated database.Claim as a partner
Study start date: September 1, 1999Actual date on which the first participant was enrolled.

A small protein called dnaJ peptide may help people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) by preventing their immune system cells from attacking their own tissues. The purpose of this study is to determine if small amounts of dnaJ peptide can "re-educate" immune cells in people with RA so that the cells stop attacking joint tissues. Immune modulation is a promising new approach for the treatment of RA. Studies have shown that immune cells in the joints of people in the early stages of RA react strongly against dnaJ peptides from bacteria. These immune cells may also cross-react with human dnaJ peptides in the joints to cause inflammation. dnaJ may help RA by "re-educating" the immune system and dampening the abnormal inflammatory immune response in RA. This study will last 7 months. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive either dnaJ or placebo by mouth. At screening, participants will have medical history, physical, and medication assessment. At screening, at 6 study visits every month after the start of treatment, and at 1 month follow-up, participants will have a joint exam, blood and urine collection, and will fill out a questionnaire about their condition.

Official TitleA Clinical Trial of Shared Epitope Peptides in Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) 
Principal SponsorNational Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)
Last updated: July 31, 2007
Sourced from a government-validated database.Claim as a partner

Protocol

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.
Design Details
160 patients to be enrolledTotal number of participants that the clinical trial aims to recruit.
Treatment Study
These studies test new ways to treat a disease, condition, or health issue. The goal is to see if a new drug, therapy, or approach works better or has fewer side effects than existing options.

How participants are assigned to different groups/arms
In this clinical study, participants are placed into groups randomly, like flipping a coin. This ensures that the study is fair and unbiased, making the results more reliable. By assigning participants by chance, researchers can better compare treatments without external influences.

Other Ways to Assign Participants
Non-randomized allocation: Participants are assigned based on specific factors, such as their medical condition or a doctor's decision.
None (Single-arm trial): If the study has only one group, all participants receive the same treatment, and no allocation is needed.

How treatments are given to participants
Participants are divided into different groups, each receiving a specific treatment at the same time. This helps researchers compare how well different treatments work against each other.

Other Ways to Assign Treatments
Single-group assignment: Everyone gets the same treatment.
Cross-over assignment: Participants switch between treatments during the study.
Factorial assignment: Participants receive different combinations of treatments.
Sequential assignment: Participants receive treatments one after another in a specific order, possibly based on individual responses.
Other assignment: Treatment assignment does not follow a standard or predefined design.

How the effectiveness of the treatment is controlled
In a placebo-controlled study, some participants receive the experimental treatment, while others receive an inert substance (placebo) to compare outcomes. This method helps to isolate the effect of the treatment from the psychological effects of receiving any treatment at all.

Other Options
Non-placebo-controlled: No placebo is used. All participants receive the actual treatment or alternative interventions (often the Standard of Care), and comparisons are made between these treatments.

How the interventions assigned to participants is kept confidential
Neither participants nor researchers know who is receiving which treatment. This is the most rigorous way to reduce bias, ensuring that expectations do not influence the results.

Other Ways to Mask Information
Open-label: Everyone knows which treatment is being given.
Single-blind: Participants do not know which treatment they are receiving, but researchers do.
Triple-blind: Participants, researchers, and outcome assessors do not know which treatment is given.
Quadruple-blind: Participants, researchers, outcome assessors, and care providers all do not know which treatment is given.

Eligibility

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria: person's general health condition or prior treatments.
Conditions
Criteria
Any sexBiological sex of participants that are eligible to enroll.
From 18 to 85 YearsRange of ages for which participants are eligible to join.
Healthy volunteers not allowedIf individuals who are healthy and do not have the condition being studied can participate.
Conditions
Pathology
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Criteria
5 inclusion criteria required to participate
Active rheumatoid arthritis as defined by the revised American College of Rheumatology (ACR) 1987 criteria. Evidence of active disease will be based on at least six swollen or nine tender joints
Diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis of less than 5 years
Reactivity to dnaJ
Agree to use acceptable methods of contraception

Show More Criteria

10 exclusion criteria prevent from participating
Patients taking more 7.5 mg of prednisone or disease modifying agents other than hydrochloroquine or sulfasalazine (i.e., gold, penicillamine, azathioprine, cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, cyclosporine, or anti-TNF agents)
Serum creatinine greater than 1.5 mg/dl
SGOT less than SGPT
Alkaline phosphatase greater than 2 times age/sex adjusted normal values

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Study Plan

Find out more about all the medication administered in this study, their detailed description and what they involve.
Treatment Groups
Study Objectives
2 intervention groups 

are designated in this study

50% chance 

of being blinded to the placebo group

Treatment Groups
Group I
Placebo
Subjects randomized to arm A received 25mg/day po of placebo
Group II
Active Comparator
Subjects randomized to Arm B received 25mg/day po of peptide dnaJP1
Study Objectives
Primary Objectives

Secondary Objectives

Study Centers

These are the hospitals, clinics, or research facilities where the trial is being conducted. You can find the location closest to you and its status.
This study has 8 locations
Suspended
University of Arizona Health Sciences CenterTucson, United StatesSee the location
Suspended
University of California, Irvine Medical CenterOrange, United States
Suspended
Stanford UniversityPalo Alto, United States
Suspended
Denver Arthritis CenterDenver, United States
Completed8 Study Centers