Metformin to slow abdominal aortic aneurysms
The LIMIting AAA with meTformin (LIMIT) Trial
This project gives metformin to adults without diabetes to see if it slows the growth of abdominal aortic aneurysms.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Stanford University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Stanford, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11143929 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You would be offered metformin treatment and followed over time to see whether your aneurysm grows more slowly than expected. The team will check safety and tolerability with regular clinic visits, blood tests, and quality-of-life questionnaires, and will monitor aneurysm size with routine imaging. The work builds on observations that people with diabetes on metformin have smaller or slower-growing AAAs, and now applies metformin prospectively in nondiabetic patients. The study aims to track adherence and any side effects while measuring changes in aneurysm progression.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adults diagnosed with an abdominal aortic aneurysm who do not have diabetes and can participate in regular follow-up visits.
Not a fit: People with diabetes, those who already need urgent surgical repair, or individuals with medical reasons they cannot take metformin (for example severe kidney impairment) are unlikely to benefit from joining this trial.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, metformin could offer the first non-surgical medication option to slow AAA growth and lower rupture risk.
How similar studies have performed: Retrospective and observational studies have linked metformin use in diabetic patients to slower AAA growth, but prospective randomized evidence in nondiabetic patients is still novel and limited.
Where this research is happening
Stanford, United States
- Stanford University — Stanford, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Dalman, Ronald L — Stanford University
- Study coordinator: Dalman, Ronald L
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.