Diabetic neuropathy affects about half of all people with diabetes over time, causing numbness, pain, or weakness in the feet and hands. Current treatment focuses on blood sugar control and pain management with medications like gabapentin or duloxetine. No approved drugs repair or reverse nerve damage, making this a major area of unmet need.
What's actually going on in research
Trials are testing nerve growth factors, anti-NGF antibodies for pain, sodium channel blockers, drugs targeting metabolic pathways that damage nerves, and devices that stimulate nerves electrically. Some studies look at whether tighter glucose control or newer diabetes drugs like GLP-1 agonists can slow progression. Researchers are also studying biomarkers to predict who will develop severe neuropathy.
Nerve regeneration
Several drugs aim to stimulate nerve regrowth or protect nerve fibers from further damage. These include growth factors and drugs that target the metabolic stress caused by high blood sugar.
Targeted pain therapies
New pain medications focus on specific sodium channels or nerve pathways unique to neuropathic pain. The goal is better relief with fewer side effects than current drugs like gabapentin.
Prevention studies
Trials are testing whether newer diabetes drugs—particularly GLP-1 receptor agonists and SGLT2 inhibitors—can prevent neuropathy from developing or worsening. Early data suggest some protective effect beyond glucose control alone.
What to know before you search
Eligibility typically depends on diabetes duration, current neuropathy severity measured by symptom scores or nerve testing, recent blood sugar control, and absence of other causes of nerve damage.
What types of trials are currently open
- Pain management trials — Testing new medications or drug combinations to reduce neuropathic pain, often comparing them to gabapentin or duloxetine.
- Disease-modifying trials — Testing drugs that aim to stop nerve damage from progressing or promote nerve repair, measured by nerve conduction studies and symptom scores.
- Device trials — Testing electrical stimulation devices worn on the legs or feet to reduce pain or improve sensation.
- Prevention trials — Testing whether specific diabetes medications or intensive glucose control can prevent neuropathy in people at high risk.
- Natural history studies — Following people with diabetes to understand how neuropathy develops and what factors predict severe complications like foot ulcers.
Recently added Diabetic Neuropathy trials
Silica-Based Wound Treatment (Curi01) Plus Standard Care Versus Standard Care Alone for Chronic Diabetic Foot Wounds
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if Curi01, a powder made of silica (silicon dioxide) particles, helps chronic, oozing diabetic foot ulcers heal when it is added to standard wound care. Curi01 is sprinkled directly onto the wound, where it soaks up wound fluid and forms a gel that is washed off at the next dressing change. The main questions it aims to answer are: Do more wounds heal completely within 12 weeks when Curi01 is added to standard wound care, compared with standard wound care alone? A wound counts as healed when it is fully closed and still closed 14 days later. Is Curi01 safe and well tolerated? Researchers will compare Curi01 plus standard wound care to standard wound care alone. Standard wound care includes removing dead tissue, cleaning the wound, non-medicated dressings and pressure relief for the foot if applicable. Participants will: Be adults with type 1 or type 2 diabetes who have an oozing foot ulcer (2 to 10 cm²) that has been present for at least 6 weeks and has not improved enough with standard wound care First receive standard wound care for 2 weeks to check whether the wound improves on its own Then be assigned by chance to one of the two groups; 2 out of 3 participants will receive Curi01 Visit the study site up to 18 times over about 14 weeks; in the Curi01 group, the powder is applied at each visit until the wound is dry Have their wound photographed and measured with a wound imaging app at each visit Answer questionnaires about their quality of life and how they feel their condition has changed Be asked about any side effects or health problems About 280 participants will take part at around 20 study sites in Germany. Participants and doctors will know which treatment is being given.
Continuous Monitoring of Plantar Temperature Variations Using Connected Insoles and a Mobile Application for Diabetic Foot.
The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate the performance of a self-monitoring system (Solsius SelfCare) to detect pre-ulcerative clinical abnormalities in adults living with type 1 or 2 diabetes at high podiatric risk (grade 3 according to French HAS guidelines) and a history of healed diabetic foot wound. The main question it aims to answer is: \- Can the Solsius SelfCare system detect pre-ulcerative foot abnormalities with a sensitivity of at least 80%, defined as the proportion of temperature threshold exceedances (≥ 2.2°C difference between symmetric plantar sites over 2 consecutive days) confirmed by a clinical abnormality identified by a podiatrist? There is no comparison group. All participants will use the same device throughout the study. Participants will: * Wear the Solsius SelfCare connected insoles daily (except during sleep) for 12 months * Receive a push notification on their smartphone if a temperature difference ≥ 2.2°C is detected between symmetric sites on both feet over 2 consecutive days * Attend scheduled podiatric follow-up visits every 3 months (at M3, M6, M9, and M12) * Attend an additional unscheduled podiatric visit within 24 hours after each temperature alert, to verify the presence or absence of a pre-ulcerative clinical abnormality * Complete a self-questionnaire after each temperature alert and a usability questionnaire (System Usability Scale) at the end of the study
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