Tier 4 — mechanistic

Targeting Senescence to Reduce Osteoarthritis Pain and cartilagE Breakdown (ROPE)

University of Kentucky study team
ClinicalTrials.gov trial registry record 2021

Bibliography

Trial registry
View on ClinicalTrials.gov Registered trial — results not yet published in a peer-reviewed journal.
Funding
Academic trial; the study was withdrawn because funding was not awarded.
Competing interests
Not reported in the registry record.

Study snapshot

DesignPlanned randomized Phase 1/2 placebo-controlled dose-strategy trial.
ModelAdults with mild-to-moderate knee osteoarthritis.
Sample0 actual participants; 60 were planned.
InterventionPlanned low-dose arm: fisetin 100 mg/day for 90 days. Planned high-dose arm: approximately 20 mg/kg/day for two consecutive days, repeated after 28 days. Comparator: placebo.
DurationPlanned 90 days for the low-dose arm and approximately one month for the high-dose intermittent arm.
EndpointsSafety; Knee pain and function; Cartilage-breakdown biomarkers including MMP3; Senescence-related outcomes

What the study showed, in plain terms

ROPE was designed to compare continuous low-dose fisetin with a high-dose intermittent regimen and placebo in knee osteoarthritis. That makes it conceptually important for dose strategy.

The study was withdrawn before enrollment because funding was not awarded. It therefore contributes no human efficacy or safety data and should be cited only as an unexecuted protocol concept.

Key findings

  • Two distinct fisetin dose strategies were planned.
  • No participants were enrolled.
  • The trial was withdrawn because funding was not awarded.

What this study can and cannot tell us

  • Zero enrollment; no human outcome data exist.
  • Planned dosing is not evidence of efficacy or safety.
  • The trial cannot be used to compare continuous and pulsed dosing clinically.

Editorial review

Reviewed by the Biohack Blueprint research team

Last verified

Dr. Khaled Mahmoud, MBBChCritical Care Medicine, Longevity Science & Editorial Direction Dr. Amr Yasser, PhDCardiometabolic, Musculoskeletal, Gut & Bioavailability Dr. Abdulla Mostafa, PhDCellular Senescence, Neurological, Mitochondrial & Brain-Ageing Biology