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Off Treatment Urinary Copper Excretion in Wilson Disease, Pilot Study

Monitoring of Therapy in Wilson Disease With Off-Treatment Urinary Copper Excretion (OT-UCE): Comparison With Serum Non-Ceruloplasmin Copper (NCC) Assays

Status
Recruiting
Phases
Unknown
Study type
Observational
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT07301216
Enrollment
30
Registered
2025-12-24
Start date
2026-01-08
Completion date
2028-09-30
Last updated
2026-03-05

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Wilson Disease

Keywords

Urine copper excretion, Non-ceruloplasmin bound copper

Brief summary

This is a prospective study that will determine the optimal timing for 24-hour urinary copper excretion (UCE) measurement after temporary discontinuation of standard therapies in Wilson Disease (WD) patients. The primary objective is to assess whether off-treatment UCE (OT-UCE) correlates with non-ceruloplasmin-bound copper (NCC) levels, aiming to validate OT-UCE as a surrogate marker for systemic copper bioavailability and disease stability. Stable WD patients will be enrolled, temporarily taken off treatment under close monitoring, and undergo UCE and NCC testing. If OT-UCE is validated, it could serve as a practical biomarker for monitoring WD treatment and stability in clinical practice and future trials.

Detailed description

Study procedures will include providing multiple urine samples over a 24-hour period, storing the urine samples, and returning them during the end-of-study visit. Blood samples will be collected to measure copper levels and liver function. An in-person end-of-study visit will be attended. Participation in this study will involve a brief stoppage of current Wilson Disease treatment. Participants will perform 24-hour urine collections and communicate with study personnel daily during the brief time medication is not taken. At the end-of-study visit, the investigators will collect urine samples, obtain blood samples, perform a physical exam, and review safety evaluations (communication with study personnel) made during the study.

Interventions

None listed

Sponsors

Yale University
Lead SponsorOTHER
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
CollaboratorNIH

Study design

Observational model
COHORT
Time perspective
PROSPECTIVE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* Patients with Wilson Disease as defined by Leipzig score ≥4. * Provision of signed and dated informed consent form. * Stated willingness to comply with all study procedures (serial 24 h urine collections and local collection of samples for NCC, liver function and estimated GFR) and availability for the duration of the study. * Treated WD for at least 12 months prior to study entry. * Aminotransferase values (ASAT and ALAT) \< 2 times the upper limit of normal (ULN). * INR \< 1.5 or stable INR for those with initial elevated INR for at least six months prior to study entry in the absence of anticoagulation therapy. * Renal function defined as eGFR \> 30 cc/min. * No change of WD therapy during the previous 6 months of study enrollment.

Exclusion criteria

* Current dual / mixed therapy for WD (i.e. zinc and d-penicillamine or trientine at the same time) * Current Pregnancy or lactation. \* * Recent estrogen-based treatment (in the last month). * Cirrhosis with recent hepatic decompensation (within the last 6 months) - new onset of ascites, spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, esophageal variceal bleeding, or hepatic encephalopathy * Investigator believes the patient will be unable to do the required 24-hour urine studies and participate in the follow up visits as expected. * Previous non-compliance for therapy and/or to low-copper diet that would compromise the evaluation of previous UCE and/ or results from the off-treatment period. * Childbearing aged patients recruited outside of the registry will be reviewed, and the patients will be asked to perform an initial urine pregnancy test prior to the recommended blood testing (approximately 60 to 90 days prior to intervention). They will be permitted to continue with the screening process if the result is negative. They will be asked to perform a second urine pregnancy test as close as possible prior to study intervention (discontinuation of treatment). If the result of the second pregnancy test is negative they will be permitted to continue with the protocol, but if the result is positive they will be excluded from further participation at that time. Childbearing aged patients recruited from the registry who meet inclusion criteria and may move directly to the study intervention will be required to perform a urine pregnancy test as close as possible to the time prior to the initiation of the study protocol (discontinuation of treatment).

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Mean concentration of OT-UCE for each standard of care WD treatmentdays 1, 2, 3 and 4 post stopping WD medsUrine samples will be collected daily for 4 days after stopping WD medications. The sequential evaluation of OT-UCE over a maximum of 4 days after treatment withdrawal will allow investigators to define the optimal ranges for UCE and select the best time-point for OT-UCE evaluations for WD patients on the 3 different therapies.
Mean NCC concentration for each WD treatmentdays 1, 2, 3 and 4 post stopping WD medsMeasure NCC and assess the correlation between NCC and OT-UCE Urine samples will be collected daily for 4 days after stopping WD medications. The sequential evaluation of NCC over a maximum of 4 days after treatment withdrawal will allow investigators to assess the correlation between NCC and OT-UCE.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Mean OT-UCE Ranges for each WD meddays 1, 2, 3 and 4 post stopping WD medsUrine samples will be collected daily for 4 days after stopping WD medications. The sequential evaluation of OT-UCE over a maximum of 4 days after treatment withdrawal will allow investigators to define the optimal ranges for UCE for WD patients on the 3 different therapies.
Assess the best timepoints for performance of OT-UCE for each drugdays 1, 2, 3 and 4 post stopping WD medsThe day (or the minimal number of consecutive days) after treatment interruption at which 24-hour OT-UCE stabilizes (defined as a plateau with less than 10% variability between two consecutive measurements) for each drug (zinc, penicillamine, trientine). This will define the optimal timing of OT-UCE monitoring for each treatment.

Countries

United States

Contacts

CONTACTSefa Keserci, MD
sefa.keserci@yale.edu203 737 2702
CONTACTHatice Maras, MD
hatice.maras@yale.edu
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORMichael L Schilsky, MD FAASLD

Yale University

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Mar 6, 2026