Virtual Twins as Tools for Personalized Clinical Care in Renal Denervation - Pilot Study

Overview

High blood pressure (hypertension) is a common condition. Despite the availability of several medications, many patients continue to have poorly controlled blood pressure. Renal denervation (RDN), a minimally invasive procedure that reduces overactive kidney nerves, has emerged as a potential treatment for certain patients with difficult-to-control hypertension. However, not all patients benefit from this procedure, and there is currently no reliable way to predict who will respond. The VITAL-RDN study (Virtual twins as tools for personalized clinical care in renal denervation - Pilot study) aims to test whether a "digital twin" can help predict which patients are most likely to respond to renal denervation. A digital twin is a personalized computer model built from an individual patient's clinical, biological, and physiological data. It is designed to simulate how that patient's cardiovascular system functions and how it may respond to treatment. The main objective of this pilot study is to evaluate whether the digital twin can accurately distinguish between patients who will respond to renal denervation and those who will not. A responder is defined as a patient whose daytime systolic blood pressure decreases by at least 5 mmHg three months after the RDN. Three groups of patients will be enrolled: 30 patients with resistant hypertension or other clinical indications for renal denervation. 20 patients with untreated primary hypertension who are starting blood pressure-lowering medication. 10 patients with primary aldosteronism who are scheduled for surgical adrenalectomy. In addition to evaluating prediction of response to renal denervation, the study will also assess the performance of the digital twin in predicting response to antihypertensive medication or adrenalectomy in the respective subgroups. If successful, this approach could support more personalized treatment decisions, reduce unnecessary procedures, and improve blood pressure control by matching the right therapy to the right patient.

Interventions

• Other Data collection in order to train the digital twin
  In this research, results from routine examinations performed to monitor the patient's health will be used to train the digital twin. These include resting blood pressure and heart rate measurements, vascular assessments (pulse wave velocity, carotid stiffness), electrocardiogram (ECG), echocardiography, extracellular water measurement by bioimpedance, cardiopulmonary exercise testing, and routine blood tests for renal and neurohumoral markers. In addition, the patient's autonomic nervous syste

Primary outcome measures

• Accuracy of the virtual twin in classifying the participants in responders and non-responders to RDN (in the group of patients eligible for RDN because of resistant HTN or other clinical indication) [Time frame: 3 months post-RDN]

Secondary outcome measures (2)

• Accuracy of the virtual twin in classifying the participants in responders and non-responders to adrenalectomy (in the group of patients with primary aldosteronism) [Time frame: 3 months post adrenalectomy]
• Accuracy of the virtual twin in classifying the participants in responders and non-responders after starting antihypertensive treatment (in the group of individuals with untreated primary hypertension) [Time frame: 3 months after antihypertensive treatment start]

Eligibility criteria

General inclusion criteria:

• Age between 18 and 90 years for both sexes.
• Patient information and verbal non-opposition expressed by the patient, recorded in writing on the non-opposition form by the investigator.
• Patients affiliated with social security or an equivalent scheme.

Specific inclusion criteria:

Patients with clinical indication for RDN:

• Stable treatment for at least 1 month.
• Clinical indication for RDN according to current recommendations or clinical judgment, as part of routine care.

Patients with untreated primary hypertension:

• Treatment-naïve hypertensive patients or continuous antihypertensive treatment for < 6 months.
• Office BP >140/90 mmHg in repeated measures or office BP >140/90 mmHg in a single visit and home BP or daytime 24h-ABPM BP >135/85 mmHg.
• Clinical indication to start antihypertensive treatment.

Patients with clinical indication to surgical adrenalectomy:

• Confirmed diagnosis of primary aldosteronism according to current guidelines.
• Clinical indication for monoliteral surgical adrenalectomy.

Exclusion criteria

• Pregnancy.
• Presence of skin irritation or non-intact skin at sensor attachment sites (sternum, chest, finger) preventing the possibility to pose sensors.
• Known allergies to ultrasound gel, adhesives, Ag/AgCl electrodes, metals, or plastics.

Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.

Healthy volunteers: No

Study design

Observational model

Cohort

Study locations

France · 2 centers

• Hypertension Unit - Georges Pompidou European Hospital — Paris
• Pharmacology Unit - Georges Pompidou European Hospital — Paris

Identifiers

NCT: NCT07462572 · APHP251305 · 2025-A02379-40

Primary sources (government registries)

• ClinicalTrials.gov (US NIH)

View this study on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗