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Updated May 2026 · ClinicalTrials.gov

RECRUITINGPhase 1INTERVENTIONAL

Nucleoside Therapy in Patients With Telomere Biology Disorders

Nucleoside Therapy in Patients With Telomere Biology Disorders (NCT06817590) is a Phase 1 interventional studying Telomere Biology Disorders and Dyskeratosis Congenita, sponsored by Suneet Agarwal. RECRUITING as of the most recent ClinicalTrials.gov update. Talk to your doctor before contacting the trial site.

Important: This information is not medical advice. Talk to your doctor about whether a clinical trial is right for you.

About This Trial

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if a combination therapy of deoxycytidine (dC) plus deoxythymidine (dT) is safe in patients with telomere biology disorders. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Is the therapy safe with tolerable side effects in patients with telomere biology disorders? * Are problems with the bone marrow or blood or lungs changed after 6 months of dC+dT treatment in patients with telomere biology disorders? Participants will: * Take study drug by mouth three times daily for 24 weeks * Make approximately 2 visits to Boston Children's Hospital during the 24 weeks: once at the beginning of treatment and once at the end of treatment. * Go to a lab for a blood draw an additional 6 times during treatment. * Have 9 phone calls with a research nurse, including one 4 weeks after treatment ends. * Keep a diary to track doses of study drug that were taken or missed.

What Stage of Research Is This?

Phase 1 trials test a new treatment for the first time in humans, focusing on safety, dosing, and how the body processes the drug. For Telomere Biology Disorders, a Phase 1 study typically enrolls a small number of participants — often healthy volunteers or patients who have exhausted standard treatment options. Phase 1 results determine whether a treatment moves into larger Phase 2 efficacy studies.

This trial is currently recruiting participants. The sponsor has registered the study with ClinicalTrials.gov as actively enrolling, which means new applicants who meet the eligibility criteria can be considered for screening. Trial status can change between updates — confirm current recruiting status with the study contact before traveling for a screening visit.

With a target enrollment of 36 participants, this is a small study — typical of early-phase research, rare-disease trials, or pilot studies designed to generate preliminary signal before a larger study is launched.

Who May Be Eligible (Plain English)

Who May Qualify: - Age ≥ 1 year and ≤ 70 years - Karnofsky performance status ≥ 50 for participants ≥16 years of age and Lansky performance status ≥ 50 for participants \<16 years of age - Diagnosis requirement. Participants must meet at least one of the following requirements for a diagnosis of a telomere biology disorder: 1. Age-adjusted mean telomere length \< 1%ile in peripheral blood lymphocytes by flow cytometry-fluorescence in situ hybridization (flow-FISH), as reported by a Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA)-approved laboratory OR 2. Pathogenic or likely pathogenic variant(s) in one of the follow telomere biology associated genes: DKC1, TERC, TERT, NOP10, NHP2, WRAP53/TCAB1, TINF2, CTC1, RTEL1, ACD, PARN, NAF1, STN1, ZCCHC8, POT1, RPA1, DCLRE1B, TYMS, as reported by a CLIA-approved laboratory. - Participants must exhibit at least one active clinical manifestation associated with a telomere biology disorder, in the judgment of the PI, which includes but is not limited to the following: one or more peripheral blood cytopenias, bone marrow hypocellular for age, pulmonary abnormalities, liver abnormalities, gastrointestinal bleeding, weakened immune system or immune dysregulation, ophthalmologic abnormalities, or neurologic abnormalities. - Participants must be able to take enteral liquids by mouth or enteral feeding tube. - Female participants who are sexually active and could become pregnant must use two effective methods of contraception, at least one of which must be considered a highly effective method. - Participants (or parent/legally authorized representative for minors) must demonstrate the ability to understand and willingness to provide willing to sign a consent form, which will be documented using an institutionally approved willing to sign a consent form procedure. Who Should NOT Join This Trial: ...See full criteria on ClinicalTrials.gov Always talk to your doctor about whether this trial is right for you.

These are translations of the protocol\'s inclusion and exclusion criteria, simplified for patients and caregivers. The original clinical text appears below. Eligibility is ultimately confirmed by the trial site\'s screening process — this summary is a starting point for a conversation with your doctor, not a final determination.

Original Eligibility Criteria

View original clinical language
Inclusion Criteria: * Age ≥ 1 year and ≤ 70 years * Karnofsky performance status ≥ 50 for participants ≥16 years of age and Lansky performance status ≥ 50 for participants \<16 years of age * Diagnosis requirement. Participants must meet at least one of the following requirements for a diagnosis of a telomere biology disorder: 1. Age-adjusted mean telomere length \< 1%ile in peripheral blood lymphocytes by flow cytometry-fluorescence in situ hybridization (flow-FISH), as reported by a Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA)-approved laboratory OR 2. Pathogenic or likely pathogenic variant(s) in one of the follow telomere biology associated genes: DKC1, TERC, TERT, NOP10, NHP2, WRAP53/TCAB1, TINF2, CTC1, RTEL1, ACD, PARN, NAF1, STN1, ZCCHC8, POT1, RPA1, DCLRE1B, TYMS, as reported by a CLIA-approved laboratory. * Participants must exhibit at least one active clinical manifestation associated with a telomere biology disorder, in the judgment of the PI, which includes but is not limited to the following: one or more peripheral blood cytopenias, bone marrow hypocellular for age, pulmonary abnormalities, liver abnormalities, gastrointestinal bleeding, immunodeficiency or immune dysregulation, ophthalmologic abnormalities, or neurologic abnormalities. * Participants must be able to take enteral liquids by mouth or enteral feeding tube. * Female participants who are sexually active and could become pregnant must use two effective methods of contraception, at least one of which must be considered a highly effective method. * Participants (or parent/legally authorized representative for minors) must demonstrate the ability to understand and willingness to provide informed consent, which will be documented using an institutionally approved informed consent procedure. Exclusion Criteria: * Participants must not have very severe aplastic anemia necessitating bone marrow transplant at the time of enrollment. Very severe aplastic anemia is defined by the presence of at least 2 of the following: ANC \<200 cells/microliter, platelets \<20,000 cells/microliter, absolute reticulocyte count \<40,000 cells/microliter. If individuals with very severe aplastic anemia are not expected to undergo bone marrow transplant either due to the lack of an acceptable donor or medical co-morbidities and otherwise meet the inclusion/exclusion criteria, then they would be eligible for enrollment in this trial. * Participants must not otherwise be expected to undergo bone marrow transplantation within 6 months of enrollment. * Participants must not be taking concurrent medications intended to improve hematopoiesis such as androgens or growth factors, including granulocyte colony stimulating factor, erythropoietin, or thrombopoietin mimetics. If any of these therapies were taken previously, patients must wait 30 days after cessation of the therapy before enrollment on this trial. * Participants must not have chronic diarrhea or an average baseline stool output of more than 4 stools per day. * Participants must not have gastrointestinal disorders that may impair enteral absorption of dC/dT, such as inflammatory bowel disease or short bowel syndrome. * Participants must not have chronic kidney disease with an estimated glomerular filtration rate \< 60 mL/min/1.73 m2. * Participants must not be on other medications or study agents or have other uncontrolled intercurrent illness that could interfere with study interpretation, in the opinion of the study Principal Investigator (PI) * Participants must not have high-risk myelodysplastic syndrome or leukemia or other active malignancy. * Pregnant individuals will not be eligible for enrollment given the physiological changes in blood counts that occur during pregnancy. * Breastfeeding mothers will not be eligible for enrollment due to the unknown risk to nursing infants.

Treatments Being Tested

DRUG

deoxycytidine

Oral administration, in combination with deoxythymidine

DRUG

deoxythymidine

Oral administration, in combination with deoxycytidine

Locations (1)

Trial sites listed on ClinicalTrials.gov for this study. Site activation status can vary — confirm with the specific site before traveling for a screening visit.

Boston Childrens Hospital
Boston, Massachusetts, United States

How to Talk to Your Doctor About This Trial

Bring the printable summary of this trial — including the NCT ID (NCT06817590), the sponsor (Suneet Agarwal), and the key eligibility criteria — to your next appointment. Your doctor can review the inclusion and exclusion criteria against your medical history, lab values, and current treatments to assess whether you are likely to qualify. They can also help you weigh whether trial participation makes sense alongside your existing care plan.

Useful questions to walk through together: What does the trial protocol require beyond standard care? How long is the active treatment phase, and how long is follow-up? Are there study visits at sites I can reach? Who pays for the trial-specific procedures, and who pays for standard-of-care portions? See our 25 questions to ask about clinical trials guide for a more complete checklist.

Authoritative Sources

The official record for this trial lives on ClinicalTrials.gov — the federal registry maintained by the National Library of Medicine at NIH. For background on how this trial fits into the FDA approval pathway, see the FDA drug approval process. For oncology-specific guidance for patients considering trials, the National Cancer Institute publishes patient-oriented overviews. International trial registries are aggregated by the WHO ICTRP.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the NCT06817590 clinical trial studying?

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if a combination therapy of deoxycytidine (dC) plus deoxythymidine (dT) is safe in patients with telomere biology disorders. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Is the therapy safe with tolerable side effects in patients with telomere biology disorders? * Are problems with the bone marrow or blood or lungs changed after 6 months of dC+dT treatment in patients with telomere biology disorders? Participants will: * Take study drug by mouth three times daily for 24 weeks * Make approximately 2 visits to Boston Children's Hospital during the 24… The full protocol is registered on ClinicalTrials.gov and includes the primary outcome measures, eligibility criteria, and study endpoints.

Who can participate in NCT06817590?

Eligibility for this trial depends on the specific inclusion and exclusion criteria set by the sponsor. The plain-English summary above translates the most important criteria into accessible language; the official clinical text is preserved in the collapsible section underneath. Whether you fit any specific trial is a medical decision your doctor needs to confirm — bring the trial information to your treating physician for a full review against your medical history.

How do I contact the trial site for NCT06817590?

Contact information registered with ClinicalTrials.gov is shown in the sidebar of this page. Before reaching out, confirm with your treating physician that this trial is appropriate for your situation. The trial site will then walk you through the screening process to determine final eligibility.

Is participating in a clinical trial safe?

Clinical trials in the United States are regulated by the FDA and overseen by Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) that review the protocol for safety. Risk varies by trial — Phase 1 studies test new treatments in humans for the first time, while Phase 3 trials use treatments that have already passed earlier safety screening. The informed consent document for any specific trial details the known risks and what to expect. Discuss those risks with your physician before deciding whether to participate.

Where can I verify the data on this page?

Every detail on this page comes directly from the ClinicalTrials.gov API. Click "View on ClinicalTrials.gov" in the sidebar to see the official, unmodified record. The federal record is always authoritative; this page is a structured presentation with a plain-English eligibility translation. For background on how clinical trials are regulated, see the FDA drug approval process documentation.

How This Page Is Built

Every field on this page is pulled directly from the ClinicalTrials.gov API v2 — no estimates, no proxies. The plain-English eligibility translation is generated from the original protocol text and reviewed for fidelity to the underlying clinical criteria. The original clinical text remains visible in the collapsible section above so users and clinicians can verify the translation. Read the full methodology for the data pipeline and known limitations.

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov API v2 record for NCT06817590. Maintained by the National Library of Medicine at NIH. Public domain. Cite as: "TrialFinderData. NCT06817590. Data: ClinicalTrials.gov."

Medical disclaimer: This page is informational, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor about whether a clinical trial is right for you.

Last updated 2026-05-08 · Data from ClinicalTrials.gov.