Clinical trial NCT05937594: MicroRNA Biomarkers for Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome
Official title: Understanding the MicroRNA Response to Opioid Withdrawal and Their Uses As Potential Biomarkers for Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome
Study type: OBSERVATIONAL
Overall status: RECRUITING
Conditions: Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome
Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome
Keywords: microRNA
saliva
neurodevelopmental
exosomes
infant
Lead sponsor: Milton S. Hershey Medical Center
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
First posted: 2023-07-10
Enrollment: 50
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 1
Maximum age (years): 5
Standard ages: CHILD
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Observational model: COHORT
Time perspective: PROSPECTIVE
Sampling method: NON_PROBABILITY_SAMPLE
Study population: Infants enrolled into the study were exposed to opiates in-utero for at least one month of gestation. All infants enrolled meet the eligibility criteria listed above.

Brief summary: Infants with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) experience prolonged hospital stays and poor neurodevelopmental outcomes, in-part because of the lack of accurate, individualized, biologic assessments available to manage this increasingly common medical condition. The proposed study will define the molecular mechanisms that regulate the response to opioid withdrawal in the developing brain by focusing on three candidate microRNAs (let-7a, miR-146a, miR-192) that have been shown to respond to opioid exposure in animal models and adults, and are impacted in both my preliminary study of infants with NAS, and my human neural progenitor cell (NPC) design of opioid withdrawal. By determining the mechanism through which microRNAs impact NPC differentiation in opioid withdrawal, and determining whether exosomal salivary microRNA levels predict treatment dose and neurodevelopmental outcomes in infants with NAS, this study will enhance our knowledge of NAS-related biology and identify potential biomarkers that could improve medical care for this important medical condition.


Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Newborns ≥35weeks gestation with chronic in-utero opioid exposure (\>1month of gestation exposure). Maternal exposure will be determined by evaluating the medical records for maternal medication use, maternal urine toxicology and neonatal meconium toxicology results per standard clinical care
* Neonates born at Penn State Hershey Medical Center or transferred at \<48 hours after birth
* Mothers with chronic in-utero opioid use during pregnancy ( ≥1month of gestation)

Exclusion Criteria:

* \<35 week gestation
* Infant required mechanical ventilation or non-invasive mechanical support
* Infant exposure to magnesium sulfate
* Opioid-exposed neonates who are actively receiving dextrose infusion for persistent neonatal hypoglycemia at the time of enrollment (\<48hours after birth).
* Infant with major congenital anomalies
* Parent or guardian unable to provide consent
* Mothers and neonates without history of opioid exposure/dependence

Primary outcomes:
measure: Neurodevelopmental outcome scores
timeFrame: 6 months of age
measure: Maximum concentration of morphine required for withdrawal symptom control
timeFrame: Measured during the course of hospital stay
measure: Salivary microRNA level let-7a
timeFrame: Buccal swab collected within 96 hrs of life and at discharge
measure: Salivary level of microRNA-146a
timeFrame: Buccal swab collected within 96 hrs of life and at discharge
measure: Salivary level of microRNA-192
timeFrame: Buccal swab collected within 96 hrs of life and at discharge
measure: Salivary level of microRNA-149-3p
timeFrame: Buccal swab collected within 96 hrs of life and at discharge
Secondary outcomes:
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Hershey
country: United States
facility: Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center
state: Pennsylvania
Study officials:
affiliation: Associate Professor of Pediatrics
name: Steven D. Hicks, MD, PhD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References: