Pulmonology & Critical Care
PHASE2
● Phase II
Phase 2 trial uses hyperpolarized 129XeMRI to study airway remodeling in obese asthma
ClinicalTrials.gov
Published March 30, 2026
Bastiaan Driehuys
NCT04512547 ↗
A phase 2 clinical trial investigated hyperpolarized 129XeMRI in 49 obese asthma subjects. The study aimed to use 3D functional imaging with 129XeMRI and single-cell RNA sequencing to examine mechanisms of regional airway remodeling and fibrosis. Primary outcomes included the percentage of neutrophils and percentage of eosinophils in peripheral blood, with a follow-up period of 46 months. No comparator group was specified in the available data.
No main results, safety data, or tolerability information were reported. Adverse events, serious adverse events, and discontinuation rates were not documented. The study's funding sources and potential conflicts of interest were also not disclosed.
Key limitations include the absence of reported results, safety profile, and comparator data. The practice relevance of hyperpolarized 129XeMRI for assessing airway remodeling in obese asthma cannot be determined until trial outcomes are published. Clinicians should await peer-reviewed results before considering any clinical implications.
Researchers are beginning a study to understand how asthma affects the lungs of people who are also living with obesity. They plan to use a special type of MRI scan, called hyperpolarized 129Xe MRI, to take detailed pictures of the lungs. The study will involve 49 adult participants who have both conditions. The goal is to see if and how excess body weight changes the way asthma remodels and scars lung tissue over time.
This is a phase 2 clinical trial, which means it is still in the early stages of testing a research method. The study will also look at blood samples to measure certain immune cells. The researchers plan to follow participants for about 46 months, or nearly four years, to track changes.
It is very important to know that this is a proposal for a study that is just getting started. The researchers have not reported any findings, results, or safety information from this work yet. We do not know if the scans will show anything useful or if there are any risks involved.
Readers should understand that this is basic science research. Its purpose is to explore possible mechanisms, not to test a new treatment. It will likely be many years before any findings from this type of study could potentially influence how doctors care for patients with asthma and obesity.
What this means for you: Early study plans to scan lungs in asthma and obesity; no results are available yet.
View Original Abstract ↓
Status: COMPLETED | Phase: PHASE2
Condition(s): Asthma, Obesity
Intervention(s): Hyperpolarized 129XeMRI (DRUG)
40% of all asthma patients in the US are obese. Obese asthmatics have more severe disease than lean asthmatics and do not respond as well to conventional anti-inflammatory therapies. This proposal will utilize 3D functional imaging with 129XeMRI and single cell RNA sequencing to study mechanisms driving regional airway remodeling and fibrosis in obese asthma subjects and in preclinical models of obese asthma.
Detailed: ABSTRACT
Obesity, a major comorbidity and a potential modulator of asthma, affects nearly 40% of asthmatics in the U.S., and increases its severity. Obese asthmatics do not respond as well to conventional anti-inflammatory therapies and new biologics targeting asthma are less effective in obese asthmatics compared to lean. Very little research has been conducted in obese animals or obese asthmatics, resulting in a major knowledge deficit.
A key feature of asthma is airway remodeling and fibrosis, broadly defined as a change in distribution, thickness, composition, mass or volume of structural components of the airway wall of patients relative to healthy patients. Airway remodeling is difficult to diagnose in obese patients as mechanical changes in chest wall compliance can contribute to
Primary Outcome(s): Percentage of Neutrophils in Peripheral Blood; Percentage of Eosinophils in Peripheral Blood
Enrollment: 49 (ACTUAL)
Lead Sponsor: Bastiaan Driehuys
Start: 2021-04-01 | Primary Completion: 2025-01-31
Results posted: 2026-03-23
