Recruiting
Phase 1

Bacteriophage Therapy

Sponsor:

Barbara Trautner

Code:

NCT06559618

Conditions

Bacteriuria

Spinal Cord Injuries

Asymptomatic Bacteriuria

Escherichia Coli

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Interventions

Phage Therapy

Placebo

Study Details

Brief summary:

This is a Phase 1b study to assess the safety, tolerability, PK, and PD of investigational phage therapy (IP) in adults with SCI and bladder colonization (ASB). It is a single-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study in adults with SCI with neurogenic bladders and bacteriuria who use indwelling catheters, or who require intermittent catheterization for bladder drainage.

Conditions

Bacteriuria

Spinal Cord Injuries

Asymptomatic Bacteriuria

Escherichia Coli

Study ID

NCT06559618

Start date

Feb 3, 2025

Status verified date

May, 2026

Completion date

Dec, 2028

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Sep, 2027

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Provision of signed and dated informed consent form.
2. Stated willingness to comply with all study procedures and availability for the duration of the study.
3. Adult (> age 18) with a diagnosis of Spinal Cord Injury/Disease (SCI/D) and neurogenic bladder. Eligible participants may include inpatients in the SCI care unit or outpatients receiving care at participating sites, regardless of the underlying cause of SCI (e.g., trauma, tumors or demyelinating).
4. ASB with E. coli present in a quantity of ≥ 104 CFU/mL.
5. Require an indwelling (transurethral or suprapubic) or intermittent catheterization for bladder drainage.
6. Women of childbearing potential and men with female partners of childbearing potential must use two forms of effective contraception during the study and for two weeks afterwards.
7. Participant will be hospitalized during the 7 days of treatment or will be willing to attend clinic visits either (a) daily for the 7 days of treatment, or (b) on Day 1 and Day 7 of dosing. On Day 1, the participant will receive in-person training on instillation of the IP into the bladder.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Unable to provide informed consent for themselves.
2. Received a new antibiotic expected to kill the Gram-negative organisms in the urine between initial enrollment urine culture and the time of randomization.
3. History of neutropenia, defined by ANC < 1000 per µL within 6 months prior to screening.
4. History of organ transplantation.
5. Presence of a surgically modified bladder, except for a repaired ruptured bladder.
6. HIV with a CD4 count < 200 cells per µL.
7. Unstable vital signs (e.g., fever, hypotension)
8. Symptoms of active urinary tract infection defined as fever, autonomic dysreflexia, generalized increase in spasticity, bladder spasms, new sweating, increase or change in lower abdominal pain, increase in burning or pain when passing urine, increase in burning or pain during catheterization, blood in the urine, or an increased sensation of urinary urgency (MedStar Health, Urinary Symptom Questionnaires for Neurogenic Bladder \[USQNB\]). The presence of any one of these symptoms, unless explained by a non-urinary or non-infectious condition, will be an exclusion criterion.
9. Known urinary obstruction.
10. Medical devices in the urinary tract (other than urinary catheters)
11. Unless deemed acceptable by the sponsor-investigator, prescription drugs, OTC medications and supplements that acidify the urine are excluded.
12. Stage 4 or greater chronic kidney disease
13. Pregnant or breastfeeding female
14. Three or more episodes of autonomic dysreflexia in prior 30 days; defined as those patients who have a SCI and who have had a documented sudden increase in systolic blood pressure of greater than 40 mmHg due to an irritation or stimulation (including bladder or bowel irritation) below the level of the SCI. Autonomic dysreflexia can include findings of hypertensive crisis or emergency, clinically significant bradycardia/tachycardia, severe headache or other severe reaction requiring an acute intervention. The sponsor-investigator will evaluate if a history of severe autonomic dysreflexia is suspected but not clearly identified.
15. In the opinion of the sponsor-investigator, medical or psychiatric illness that would interfere with participation such as active, severe, progressive, or uncontrolled hepatic, hematologic, gastrointestinal, endocrine, pulmonary, cardiac, or neurologic disease.

Study Design

Enrollment

30 participants

Anticipated

Allocation

Randomized

Intervention Model

Parallel Assignment

Primary purpose

Treatment

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

experimental: Phage Arm

A sterile solution of one to three individual phages (cocktail) (3 x 10\^8 plaque forming units \[PFU\]) phage(s) will be administered intravesicularly (instilled into the participant's bladder via catheter) twice a day for 7 days. The name of the active treatment IP is TAILФR Phage Cocktail (TPC).

placebo comparator: Placebo Arm

Sterile 0.9% saline solution will be instilled into the bladder via catheter twice a day for 7 days

Interventions

Phage Therapy

A 20 mL sterile solution containing one to three individual phage drug substances (TPC) with total strength (potency) 3 x 10\^8 plaque-forming units (PFU), will be administered intravesicularly twice a day (one instillation in the morning and one in the evening \[at least six hours apart\], respectively) for 7 days. The selection of individual phages to include in the TPC are personalized/customized for each participant per phage susceptibility testing to the participant's urinary E. coli (testing is conducted by TAILФR Service Center). Each dose of TPC will be followed with a 10 mL flush of sterile 0.9% saline solution.

Placebo

Sterile 0.9% saline solution also 20 mL, followed with a 10 mL flush of the same solution.

Primary outcome measure

  • To evaluate the safety and tolerability of phage therapy in adults ≥18 years of age with spinal cord injury (SCI) and bacteriuria with Escherichia coli (E. coli) [ Time Frame: 2 years ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

Barbara W Trautner, MD, PhD

314 747 5258trautner@wustl.edu

Rogelio Hernandez, MS

hrogelio@wustl.edu

Locations

Washington University in St Louis

Recruiting

St Louis, Missouri, United States, 63110

Contacts

Barbara W Trautner, MD, PhD

trautner@wustl.edu

Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center

Recruiting

Houston, Texas, United States, 77030

Contacts

Eva Amenta, MD

eva.amenta@bcm.edu

More Information

Sponsor

Barbara Trautner

Last update posted

May 5, 2026

Last verified

May, 2026

Keywords

  • Bacteriophage
  • Bacteriuria
  • Phage Therapy
  • Spinal Cord Injury
  • Intravesicular infusion
  • Neurogenic Bladder
  • Intermittent catheterization
  • Randomized clinical trial

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-09. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by Barbara Trautner on 2026-05-05.