MINOTAUR
Research type
Research Study
Full title
MINOcycline in the Treatment of Atheroma that are Unstable or Ruptured Study
IRAS ID
269021
Contact name
Elizabeth Warburton
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 11 months, 31 days
Research summary
The carotid arteries are the main blood vessels supplying blood to the brain and are found on both sides of the neck. The narrowing of these arteries is an important cause of stroke. Narrowing is commonly caused by fatty deposits in the lining of the blood vessels, called ‘atheroma’ or ‘plaques,’ otherwise described as ‘furring up’ of the arteries. Typically these deposits build up over a person’s lifetime and when they reach a significant size can limit the blood supply to the brain. An ‘ischaemic stroke,’ the most common type of stroke, occurs when insufficient blood supply reaches the brain, causing a part of it to die. This usually occurs when the plaque ruptures, causing a blood clot to form over the area that may break off and block the blood supply to the brain.
Work done by our group has found that the shell overlying the plaque can become damaged by small deposits of calcium (‘microcalcification’), which makes the plaque more likely to rupture. To date, there is no drug treatment for reversing this microcalcification. However, recent research has shown a drug called minocycline reduced microcalcification developing in rats. Minocycline is an antibiotic used in routine clinical practice, typically to treat acne.
This study aims to test whether minocycline reduces microcalcification in humans. We can measure the amount of microcalcification in your arteries using a specialist scan called Positron Emission Tomography (PET), which uses radioactive ‘tags’ that show areas of microcalcification. This tag, called NaF (sodium fluoride), shows areas of microcalcification.
REC name
Wales REC 6
REC reference
21/WA/0011
Date of REC Opinion
5 Mar 2021
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion