Alzheimer DiseasePhase 1NCT07413744
The Gut - PRO Study
A Phase 1 study testing Probiotic in people with Alzheimer Disease, run by University of Wisconsin, Madison at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
The purpose of this study is to assess the safety and feasibility of an oral probiotic supplement (PS) intervention in individuals with dementia or mild-cognitive impairment (MCI) due to Alzheimer's disease or at risk of dementia due to Alzheimer's disease (AD). Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 60 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Alzheimer Disease
- What is being tested?
- Probiotic
- Type of treatment
- Pill or oral medicine
- Could I receive a placebo?
- Yes, some participants may receive a placebo
- How many people
- 40 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- Oct 2026to Sep 2029
- Phase
- Phase 1
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 60 years and older
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- MCI/AD or cognitively unimpaired, referred from a Wisconsin clinic that is part of the Wisconsin Alzheimer's Institute's (WAI) network, or recruited from the community. May have participated in:
- Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (ADRC) clinical core study (2011-0030)
- ADCP (26695, MCW IRB)
- Synapse study (2018-1283)
- ADRC Recruitment Registry (2016-0735)
- At least 60 years of age or older
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- Good general health (other than cognitive impairment/dementia) with no conditions/medications affecting the gut microbiome (see exclusion criteria below)
- Willing and able to comply with all study procedures for the duration of the study
- Able to provide signed and dated informed consent form
- Participant is not pregnant, lactating or of childbearing potential (i.e., women must be two years post-menopausal or surgically sterile)
- Able to take oral medications
- An informant to answer questionnaires about the participant
- Additional inclusion criteria for unimpaired participants:
- Has MOCA score that falls within the range defined for cognitively healthy individuals
- Additional inclusion criteria for participants with MCI/AD
- Abnormal cognitive function documented by neuropsychological testing
- ADRC (2015-0030) Consensus Diagnosis Conference indicates dementia or MCI due to AD (for ADRC, ADCP, and Synapse participants only)
- Meets NIA-AA criteria for MCI or AD.
Who cannot join
- Active or previous (within 6 months) participation in an Alzheimer's clinical intervention/trial (can be included if previously enrolled in placebo or control group)
- Standard clinical care for dementia and medications used to treat MCI and Alzheimer's disease are acceptable, including monoclonal antibody therapy
- Significant neurologic disease: Any significant neurologic disease, such as Parkinson's disease, stroke, Huntington's disease, normal pressure hydrocephalus, brain tumor, progressive supranuclear palsy, subdural hematoma, multiple sclerosis, seizure disorder, or other significant deficits other than Alzheimer's or Mild Cognitive Impairment
- Alcohol/substance: history of alcohol/substance dependence in the past year.
- Significant medical illness: any significant systemic illness or unstable medical condition occurring during ADRC participation that could affect cognition (other than MCI/AD). Examples include malignant cancer, chemotherapy, HIV, untreated thyroid disease, heart failure, or renal insufficiency
- Current diagnosis with diabetes
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- Illiterate, blind, or non-English speaking
- Known periodic antibiotic use (i.e., prior to dental appointments)
- Oral PS-specific exclusion criteria:
- Inability (e.g., dysphagia) or unwilling to swallow capsules
- Active gastrointestinal infection at time of enrollment
- Known or suspected toxic megacolon and/or known small bowel ileus
- History of total colectomy or bariatric surgery
- Concurrent intensive induction chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or biological treatment for active malignancy
- Unable or unwilling to comply with protocol requirements
- Expected life expectancy less than 6 months
- Previous use of probiotic supplementation (PS) or microbiome-based products within 2 months, large doses of commercial probiotics consumed (greater than or equal to 10^8 cfu or organisms per day). Includes tablets, capsules, lozenges, chewing gum or powders in which probiotic is a primary component (ordinary dietary components such as fermented beverages/milks, yogurts, foods do not apply). Enrollment after 2 months without probiotic use can be considered for eligibility
- Patients with severe anaphylactic or anaphylactoid food allergy
- Solid organ transplant recipients less than or equal to 90 days post-transplant or on active treatment for rejection
- A condition that would jeopardize the safety or rights of the participant, would make it unlikely for the participant to complete the study, or would confound the results of the study
- Exclusionary factors affecting the microbiome:
- Previous use of systemic antibiotics (intravenous, intramuscular, or oral) within 3 months (depends on the duration of antibiotic use, i.e., less than 3 months is considered exclusion, however, enrollment after 3 months without antibiotic use can be considered for eligibility)
- Immune stimulating and/or suppressing medications
- Immunosuppressed as evaluated by complete blood count (CBC) with differential, which includes white blood cell count, total neutrophil count, and total lymphocyte count
- Unstable dietary history during the previous month, which is defined as major changes in diet by eliminating or significantly increasing a major food group
- Major surgery of the GI tract, with the exception of cholecystectomy and appendectomy, in the past five years
- Major bowel resection at any time
- Active uncontrolled gastrointestinal disorders or disease including inflammatory bowel disease, ulcerative colitis (mild-moderate-severe), Crohn's disease (mild-moderate-severe), or indeterminate colitis; irritable bowel syndrome (moderate-severe); persistent, infectious gastroenteritis, colitis, or gastritis; persistent or chronic diarrhea of unknown etiology, Clostridium difficile infection (recurrent) or Helicobacter pylori infection (untreated), or chronic constipation
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
United States1 site, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics
Madison, Wisconsin, 53792
Barbara Bendlin, PhD
Federico Rey, PhD
About this study
Official title: Probiotic Supplementation Safety and Feasibility Study in Preclinical Alzheimer's Disease
The purpose of this study is to assess the safety and feasibility of an oral probiotic supplement (PS) intervention in individuals with dementia or mild-cognitive impairment (MCI) due to Alzheimer's disease or at risk of dementia due to Alzheimer's disease (AD). 40 participants will be enrolled and can expect to be on study for up to 1 year.
Read the detailed description
40 participants will be enrolled. 20 with dementia or mild cognitive impairment (MCI) due to Alzheimer's disease (biomarker confirmed amyloid positivity), and 20 unimpaired cognition, enriched for elevated amyloid (approximately 75-80% amyloid positive). Dementia/mild cognitive impairment will be determined according to 2024 NIA-AA criteria.
Primary Objective
- To assess the safety and feasibility (recruitment, eligibility, enrollment, completion, and follow-up) of an oral probiotic supplementation (PS) intervention in humans with or at risk for dementia due to AD.
Exploratory Objectives
- To demonstrate the effects of PS on the composition and function of the gut microbiota in humans with or at risk for dementia due to AD.
- To collect preliminary data in order to estimate sample size and other critical parameters for a larger study.
- To examine potential mechanisms by which the gut impacts brain, including leading candidate mechanisms such as intestinal permeability and change to bile acid milieu.
- Conditions
- Alzheimer Disease
- Being tested
- Probiotic, Placebo
- Keywords
- probiotics
- Medical subject headings
- Alzheimer Disease
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
ProbioticDrug
Also called Encapsulated probiotic preparation
A single dose of oral PS will be administered once daily for 6 months
PlaceboOther
A placebo will be given once daily for 6 months.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Cognitively Impaired due to AD: Probiotic | Experimental | Diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia Receives: Drug: Probiotic |
| Cognitively Impaired due to AD: Placebo | Placebo comparator | Diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia Receives: Other: Placebo |
| Cognitively Unimpaired Amyloid Positive: Probiotic | Experimental | Not described Receives: Drug: Probiotic |
| Cognitively Unimpaired Amyloid Positive: Placebo | Placebo comparator | Not described Receives: Other: Placebo |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Safety: Proportion of participants with an adverse event (AE) occurring during any point of the study
Measured: up to 36 weeks
Safety: Proportion of participants with a severe adverse event (SAE) occurring during any point of the study
Measured: up to 36 weeks
Feasibility: Number of weeks or months needed to meet study group numbers
Measured: up to 36 weeks
Feasibility: Proportion of individuals expressing interest in study who are Eligible
Measured: baseline
Feasibility: Proportion of Participants Who Complete 80 percent of Oral PS
Measured: week 24
Feasibility: Proportion of Participants Who Complete Intervention
Measured: up to 36 weeks
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted17 Feb 2026
- Study startOct 2026 (estimated)
- Primary completionSep 2029 (estimated)
- Study completionSep 2029 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Alzheimer DiseaseStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase 1
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Model description
- Safety and feasibility study, randomized, double blinded, placebo-controlled
- Masking
- Double blind
- Who is masked
- Participant, Outcomes assessor
- Enrolment
- 40 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- University of Wisconsin, Madison
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- International Flavors & Fragrances Inc., National Institute on Aging (NIA)
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Barbara Bendlin, PhD, Principal investigator, UW School of Medicine and Public HealthFederico Rey, PhD, Principal investigator, Department of Bacteriology
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07413744
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 2024-0622
- Other IDs
- 1R61AG088913-01A1, A534255, Protocol Version 8/7/26
- Status last verified
- Sep 2026
- First submitted
- 7 Jan 2026
- Last updated
- 29 Sep 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- Yes
- FDA-regulated drug
- Yes
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Yes: Collected specimens (including stool, blood, and CSF) will be stored and may be used for future research. Participants will be asked to consent to the use of the samples for future research.
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 29 Sep 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Probiotic Supplementation Safety and Feasibility Study in Preclinical Alzheimer's Disease
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07413744
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 2024-0622
- Conditions
- Alzheimer Disease
- Keywords
- probiotics
- Phase
- Phase 1
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Enrolment
- 40 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- University of Wisconsin, MadisonUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- International Flavors & Fragrances Inc., National Institute on Aging (NIA)
- Study start
- Oct 2026 (estimated)
- Primary completion
- Sep 2029 (estimated)
- Study completion
- Sep 2029 (estimated)
- First posted
- 17 Feb 2026 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The purpose of this study is to assess the safety and feasibility of an oral probiotic supplement (PS) intervention in individuals with dementia or mild-cognitive impairment (MCI) due to Alzheimer's disease or at risk of dementia due to Alzheimer's disease (AD). 40 participants will be enrolled and can expect to be on study for up to 1 year.
Detailed description
40 participants will be enrolled. 20 with dementia or mild cognitive impairment (MCI) due to Alzheimer's disease (biomarker confirmed amyloid positivity), and 20 unimpaired cognition, enriched for elevated amyloid (approximately 75-80% amyloid positive). Dementia/mild cognitive impairment will be determined according to 2024 NIA-AA criteria.
Primary Objective
- To assess the safety and feasibility (recruitment, eligibility, enrollment, completion, and follow-up) of an oral probiotic supplementation (PS) intervention in humans with or at risk for dementia due to AD.
Exploratory Objectives
- To demonstrate the effects of PS on the composition and function of the gut microbiota in humans with or at risk for dementia due to AD.
- To collect preliminary data in order to estimate sample size and other critical parameters for a larger study.
- To examine potential mechanisms by which the gut impacts brain, including leading candidate mechanisms such as intestinal permeability and change to bile acid milieu.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Double blind (participant, outcomes assessor)
- Number of arms
- 4
- Model description
- Safety and feasibility study, randomized, double blinded, placebo-controlled
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Cognitively Impaired due to AD: Probiotic | Experimental | Drug: ProbioticDiagnosis of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia |
| Cognitively Impaired due to AD: Placebo | Placebo comparator | Other: PlaceboDiagnosis of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia |
| Cognitively Unimpaired Amyloid Positive: Probiotic | Experimental | Drug: Probiotic |
| Cognitively Unimpaired Amyloid Positive: Placebo | Placebo comparator | Other: Placebo |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 60 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (18 listed)
- MCI/AD or cognitively unimpaired, referred from a Wisconsin clinic that is part of the Wisconsin Alzheimer's Institute's (WAI) network, or recruited from the community. May have participated in:
- At least 60 years of age or older
- Good general health (other than cognitive impairment/dementia) with no conditions/medications affecting the gut microbiome (see exclusion criteria below)
- Willing and able to comply with all study procedures for the duration of the study
- Able to provide signed and dated informed consent form
Key exclusion criteria (28 listed)
- Active or previous (within 6 months) participation in an Alzheimer's clinical intervention/trial (can be included if previously enrolled in placebo or control group)
- Standard clinical care for dementia and medications used to treat MCI and Alzheimer's disease are acceptable, including monoclonal antibody therapy
- Significant neurologic disease: Any significant neurologic disease, such as Parkinson's disease, stroke, Huntington's disease, normal pressure hydrocephalus, brain tumor, progressive supranuclear palsy, subdural hematoma, multiple sclerosis, seizure disorder, or other significant deficits other than Alzheimer's or Mild Cognitive Impairment
- Alcohol/substance: history of alcohol/substance dependence in the past year.
- Significant medical illness: any significant systemic illness or unstable medical condition occurring during ADRC participation that could affect cognition (other than MCI/AD). Examples include malignant cancer, chemotherapy, HIV, untreated thyroid disease, heart failure, or renal insufficiency
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| ProbioticAlso: Encapsulated probiotic preparationA single dose of oral PS will be administered once daily for 6 months | Drug | Cognitively Impaired due to AD: Probiotic, Cognitively Unimpaired Amyloid Positive: Probiotic |
| PlaceboA placebo will be given once daily for 6 months. | Other | Cognitively Impaired due to AD: Placebo, Cognitively Unimpaired Amyloid Positive: Placebo |
Primary outcome
Safety: Proportion of participants with an adverse event (AE) occurring during any point of the study
Time frame: up to 36 weeks
Safety: Proportion of participants with a severe adverse event (SAE) occurring during any point of the study
Time frame: up to 36 weeks
Feasibility: Number of weeks or months needed to meet study group numbers
Time frame: up to 36 weeks
Feasibility: Proportion of individuals expressing interest in study who are Eligible
Time frame: baseline
Feasibility: Proportion of Participants Who Complete 80 percent of Oral PS
Time frame: week 24
Feasibility: Proportion of Participants Who Complete Intervention
Time frame: up to 36 weeks
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 29 Sep 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Yes. Collected specimens (including stool, blood, and CSF) will be stored and may be used for future research. Participants will be asked to consent to the use of the samples for future research.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
Barbara Bendlin, PhD principal investigator
UW School of Medicine and Public Health
Federico Rey, PhD principal investigator
Department of Bacteriology
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A Phase 1 study testing Probiotic in people with Alzheimer Disease, run by University of Wisconsin, Madison at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 18 inclusion and 28 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 29 Sep 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. Some participants in this study may receive a placebo. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
What does this phase mean?
Phase 1 studies test a treatment in a small group of people for the first time or in a new way, mainly to check safety and find the right dose.
Not every study follows the same path, and some studies (observational studies, device studies) have no phase.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Alfred Braceros, BA (608-263-9485, braceros@medicine.wisc.edu), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Safety: Proportion of participants with an adverse event (AE) occurring during any point of the study (time frame: up to 36 weeks). The study lists 6 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 29 Sep 2026.