Recruiting

Semaglutide

Sponsor:

UCLA

Code:

NCT05419726

Conditions

Obesity

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18+

Healthy Volunteers: Accepted

Interventions

Semaglutide Injectable Product (not provided by the study)

Study Details

Brief summary:

Glucagon like peptide (GLP-1) agonists, such as liraglutide, exenatide, and semaglutide, have been increasingly used as a medication to address the current twin epidemics of diabetes and obesity. Their activities include increasing insulin production by pancreatic beta cells, improving insulin sensitivity in muscles and weight loss. The mechanisms underpinning the weight loss caused by GLP-1 agonists have not yet been fully elucidated, but brown adipose tissue (BAT) appears to play an important role.

We propose to assess BAT activity, using infrared thermography camera images, before individuals start weekly administration of semaglutide, at week 2-4, and week 18-20. We hypothesize that this GLP-1 agonist, semaglutide, will cause an increase in BAT activity and a corresponding increase in basal metabolic rate.

Conditions

Obesity

Study ID

NCT05419726

Start date

Feb 1, 2023

Status verified date

May, 2025

Completion date

Feb 1, 2026

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Jan 1, 2026

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18+

Healthy Volunteers: Accepted

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Subjects scheduled to start semaglutide for weight loss (drug not provided by or paid for by the study)
  • >18 years of age and willing to participate
  • Male or post-menopausal females

Exclusion Criteria:

  • History of prior neck surgery and /or neck irradiation

  • Use of beta blocker agents
  • Use of any other glucose lowering medication
  • History of neuropathic disorders (e.g. diabetic neuropathy)
  • Diabetic patients
  • Individuals without normal thyroid function
  • Individuals with cancer
  • Any significant chronic disease or renal, hepatic or endocrine disease
  • Current smokers
  • Inability of patient to provide consent either for medical reasons or psychiatric reasons

Study Design

Enrollment

20 participants

Anticipated

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Interventions

Semaglutide Injectable Product (not provided by the study)

Study Procedure:

Subjects that are to be started on semaglutide by their physician will be invited to participate in the study. If the subject is eligible and signs the consent form they will be enrolled in the study. There are three (3) study visits including Baseline/Visit 1 (prior to starting semaglutide), Visit 2 (at week 2-4) and Visit 3 (at week 18-20). The subjects undergo these tests at each visit: weight circumference measured, BMR testing, thermal imaging of BAT, and perform a 24 hour food recall.

Primary outcome measure

  • change in supraclavicular temperature with cold exposure [ Time Frame: 20weeks ]
  • change in caloric intake [ Time Frame: 20weeks ]
  • basal metabolic rate [ Time Frame: 20 weeks ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

Preethi Srikanthan, MD

310-825-7922psrikanthan@mednet.ucla.edu

Julie Sorg, MSN

310-206-2235jsorg@mednet.ucla.edu

Locations

UCLA Health

Recruiting

Los Angeles, California, United States, 90095

Contacts

Julie Sorg, MSN

jsorg@mednet.ucla.edu

More Information

Sponsor

University of California, Los Angeles

Last update posted

May 11, 2025

Last verified

May, 2025

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-09. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by University of California, Los Angeles on 2025-05-11.