Clinical Research Directory

Oral Supplementation With 1 mg of KGA-10 Daily (a Novel Environmentally-derived Mycolicibacterium) for Stress, Sleep, and Inflammation

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if a novel strain of heat-killed Mycolicibacterium that is being considered by the International Code of Nomenclature of Prokaryotes (ICNP) as candidate species and type strain "Candidatus Mycolicibacterium petrae" KGA-10 (KGA-10) has effects on perceived stress, systemic inflammation, self-reported measures of sleep, and self-reported general well-being in healthy adults. This clinical trial will also learn about safety and tolerability of KGA-10. This novel Mycolicibacterium species is also referred to as NeuroAlly and MTC 0012. The questions it aims to answer are: 1) is KGA-10 associated with adverse side effects; 2) does KGA-10 reduce systemic inflammation; 3) does KGA-10 reduce perceived stress; 4) does KGA-10 improve self -reported measures of sleep; 4) does KGA-10 improve self-reported metrics of general wellbeing. Researchers will compare daily KGA-10 (1 mg mixed with microcrystalline cellulose in capsule form) to a placebo (microcrystalline cellulose in capsule form, but contains no KGA-10) to see if KGA-10 has effects on the proposed outcomes. Participants will take KGA-10 or a placebo everyday for 8 weeks and keep a daily log of their supplement intake that includes the time of day. Participants will complete a weekly survey to assess side effects experienced during the trial both related and not related to the supplement. They will complete additional weekly surveys evaluating perceived stress and self-reported measures of sleep. They will complete a survey evaluating self-reported general well-being and provide dried blood spot (DBS) samples to assess systemic inflammation at baseline, week-4, and week-8

Strengthening Health Literacy in Healthcare Workers Through Mind Body Medicine and Nutrition

This is a randomized controlled trial aiming to develop and evaluate a workplace health program to improve stress resilience and mental well-being among healthcare workers at University Medicine Essen using a participatory research design (including a steering committee composed of hospital staff, needs assessment through focus groups, and pilot testing). The intervention combines mind-body medicine techniques, complementary medicine self-care strategies, and psycho-biotic nutrition. If successful, the program will be integrated into routine workplace health management and serve as a model for other healthcare institutions.

Role of the Blood-Brain Barrier in Stress Resilience: Investigating New Pathways Towards Pharmacological Augmentation of Stress Resilience

The goal of this clinical trial is to better understand the relationship between blood-brain barrier (BBB) function and stress resilience and to investigate a potential causal role for BBB function in stress resilience in humans. The researchers will look for particpants that are young adults to answer the following questions to reach our goal: * Is better BBB integrity, measured with neuroimaging, associated with better stress resilience in the short term and in the long term? * Does the administration of Metformin improve BBB integrity? * Is improved BBB integrity a possible link between Metformin and better short- and long-term stress resilience? The participants will do the following during our study: * Participants will fill in online surveys on stressor exposure and mental health once every four weeks over 36 weeks * Participants will visit the study site 4 times: * The first time for a screening process which includes questionnaires, a medical exam and a blood sample. * The next 2 visits will include a blood sample, a medical exam, an MRI scan and a list of questionnaires * The last visit will include another blood sample, a medical exam and a list of questionnaires. * Between visit 2 and 3, the participant will take either Metformin or Placebo