The proposed study will investigate the effects of etelcalcetide on the bone and blood-vessel health in patients with CKD-MBD. The investigators will test if etelcalcetide makes bone and blood-vessels healthier. The study hypotheses are that are that etelcalcetide keeps bones strong and lowers the risk of calcium deposits in blood vessels. In Aim 1, the investigators will test if 9-months of treatment with etelcalcetide improves bone strength in twenty ESKD patients with hyperparathyroidism (HPT) by bone biopsy. In Aim 2, the investigators will test if 9-months of treatment with etelcalcetide decreases serum propensity to calcify blood vessels. The potential significance of this study is to provide first-time data on the ability of etelcalcetide to protect bone and blood-vessel health in patients with ESKD.
Chronic kidney disease - mineral and bone disease (CKD-MBD) is a disorder of bone and mineral metabolism in patients with CKD. When kidney function is poor, levels of vitamin D, phosphate and parathyroid hormone become abnormal and patients are at risk for bone disease and fractures (renal osteodystrophy) and the deposition of calcium in blood vessels and muscles. CKD-MBD increases the risk of fractures, heart attacks, strokes, and death. Treatment of CKD-MBD is focused on lowering levels of parathyroid hormone (PTH) by giving vitamin D and lowering levels of phosphorous by giving phosphate binders. In patients with end stage kidney disease (ESKD), target levels of PTH recommended by the Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) guidelines are in the range of 2-9 times the upper limit of normal (ULN) for the PTH assay. In many cases, in patients with long-standing ESKD, the parathyroid gland may no longer respond to treatment with vitamin D and phosphate lowering. In these cases, treatment with a calcimimetic, a medicine that increases the sensitivity of the parathyroid gland to serum levels of calcium, can restore PTH levels to goal.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NA
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
22
Administered intravenously at the end of each dialysis session. Dosing ranges from 5 mg to 15 mg set by the patient's physician.
Columbia University Irving Medical Center
New York, New York, United States
Percent Change in PTH Levels
Mean percent change in parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels will be calculated.
Time frame: Baseline and 9 months
Change in Bone Mineral Density (BMD) of the Femoral Neck by Dual-energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DXA)
To test if 9-months of treatment with etelcalcetide changes femoral neck areal BMD, a change in age and sex adjusted Z-Score will be calculated from baseline to 9 months. A Z-Score of zero represent the population mean and higher Z-Scores indicate a better outcome.
Time frame: Baseline and 9 months
Propensity as Measured by T50
The propensity to calcify soft tissues will be measured by T50 for 9 months of treatment. T50 is a novel serum-based marker that assesses the propensity of calcification in serum. Shorter T50 indicates greater propensity to calcify.
Time frame: 9 months
Percent Change in Mean Hardness
Hardness will be measured by Ramen nano-indentation and mineralization measured by histomorphometry obtained (in GPa).
Time frame: Baseline and 9 months
Change in Bone Mineral Density (BMD) of the Spine by DXA
To test if 9-months of treatment with etelcalcetide improves spine BMD, a change in age and sex adjusted Z-Score will be calculated from baseline to 9 months. A Z-Score of zero represent the population mean and higher Z-Scores indicate a better outcome.
Time frame: Baseline and 9 months
Change in Bone Mineral Density (BMD) of Total Hip by DXA
To test if 9-months of treatment with etelcalcetide improves total hip BMD, the change in age and sex adjusted Z-Score will be calculated from baseline to 9 months. A Z-Score of zero represent the population mean and higher Z-Scores indicate a better outcome.
Time frame: Baseline and 9 months
Change in Bone Formation Rate
A quadruple label method will be used to assess effects of etelcalcetide on the bone formation rate. A tetracycline double label will be used pre-etelcalcetide and a declomycin double label will be used post-etelcalcetide in a protocol that administers label 3-days on, 12-days interlude, 3-days on. A single bone biopsy will be performed 1 to 10 days after completion of the second double label. Biopsy cores will be placed into 70% ethanol then serially dehydrated and embedded in methyl methacrylate. Four-micron thick sections will be cut and left unstained for dynamic histomorphometry. A region of interest including all trabecular bone and excluding cortical bone will be analyzed separately for each tetracycline or declomycin label. Standard analysis techniques will be used to measure single, double and no labelled surfaces and distances between the two labels of each fluorescence. Standard calculations of the bone formation rate/bone surface (um3/um2/year) will be made.
Time frame: Baseline and 9 months
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