Peripheral artery disease narrows the arteries that carry blood to the legs and arms, usually from plaque buildup. It affects about 8 million Americans, causing leg pain with walking and raising the risk of heart attack and stroke. Treatment focuses on managing cardiovascular risk, improving walking distance, and preventing limb loss in severe cases.
What's actually going on in research
Trials are testing new drugs to improve blood flow and walking ability, gene therapies to grow new blood vessels, stem cell treatments for critical limb ischemia, and better ways to prevent amputation. Studies also explore optimal stent designs, medication combinations after revascularization procedures, and whether drugs like SGLT2 inhibitors reduce PAD complications.
Gene and cell therapy
Treatments that inject genetic material or stem cells into the leg aim to stimulate new blood vessel growth. Early studies show promise for people with severe PAD who aren't candidates for bypass surgery or stenting.
Critical limb ischemia prevention
New drug combinations and treatment strategies target the most severe PAD, where poor blood flow threatens the limb. Trials test whether early aggressive treatment can prevent amputation in high-risk patients.
Walking capacity drugs
Beyond the currently available cilostazol, researchers are testing drugs that work through different mechanisms to extend walking distance. Some target the mitochondria in muscle cells to improve oxygen use.
What to know before you search
Eligibility typically depends on PAD severity (measured by ankle-brachial index), walking limitation, prior revascularization procedures, and other cardiovascular conditions.
What types of trials are currently open
- Drug trials — Testing medications to improve walking distance, reduce leg pain, or prevent cardiovascular events in people with PAD.
- Revascularization trials — Comparing different approaches to restoring blood flow, including types of stents, bypass techniques, and medication regimens after procedures.
- Gene therapy trials — Injecting genetic material into the leg to promote new blood vessel growth, typically for people with severe PAD.
- Stem cell trials — Testing whether stem cells can improve blood flow and prevent amputation in critical limb ischemia.
- Prevention studies — Following people with PAD to understand what predicts progression, amputation risk, and cardiovascular events.
Recently added Peripheral Artery Disease trials
Donate blood samples to help researchers track healthy aging
The Health for Hungary (H4H) study collects blood samples and corresponding health data to investigate healthy aging and health-to-disease transitions in middle-aged and elderly participants. Indications Studied: Apparently healthy, symptom-free participants are enrolled and followed up to study the onset of new-onset diseases with special emphasis on non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Study Design: Single-country, multicenter, prospective, longitudinal survey. Objectives: The study aims to establish reference ranges of blood parameters using routine clinical blood tests and high-information-content methods, including proteomics, metabolomics and the so-called infrared molecular fingerprinting. The study also aims to identify novel biomarkers of major non-communicable diseases, including atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes and chronic respiratory disease.
Share your medical data to help predict complications after leg artery treatment
Peripheral arterial disease involving the iliac arteries is a common manifestation of systemic atherosclerosis and a major cause of lifestyle-limiting claudication and chronic limb-threatening ischemia. Endovascular iliac artery stenting has become the preferred treatment strategy for most iliac lesions, including complex TransAtlantic Inter-Society Consensus II (TASC II) C and D lesions, owing to high technical success rates and lower perioperative morbidity compared with open surgical reconstruction. Despite widespread adoption of endovascular treatment, available evidence regarding predictors of major adverse limb events (MALE) after iliac artery stenting remains limited, particularly in unselected real-world populations with substantial comorbidity burden. Patient-related factors, including frailty, may contribute to post-procedural outcomes in addition to lesion-related characteristics. This retrospective single-center cohort study will evaluate clinical outcomes following endovascular iliac artery stenting in consecutive adult patients treated at IRCCS Galeazzi-Sant'Ambrogio Hospital, Milan, Italy. The study will assess the occurrence of major adverse limb events (MALE), primary patency, peri-procedural complications, target lesion revascularization, restenosis or occlusion, and all-cause mortality. Clinical, anatomical, and procedural factors associated with adverse limb outcomes, including frailty assessed by the modified five-item Frailty Index (mFI-5), will also be investigated.
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