Assessment of OriCol™ for analysis of gut immune cells and microbiota
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Comparison between biopsy, stool and OriCol™ sampling methods for the analysis of gut immune cells and microbiota.
IRAS ID
223043
Contact name
Hafid Omar
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
The University of Wolverhampton
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Colonic biopsies and stool samples are the most commonly used samples when assessing colonic microbiota, however they both have limitations. Biopsy sampling is laborious, requires patient preparation (bowel preparation) which may have an impact on the immune cells and microbiota in the resulting sample and is an invasive procedure with an attached risk of bleeding. Stool samples are inconvenient for patients to collect, present handling problems and provide a luminal sample that does not contain mucosally adherent bacteria. The OriCol™ device provides an alternative means of sample collection. The device is inserted into the rectum via a proctoscope and a membrane then inflated with air using a syringe. Following membrane deflation, the device is removed and buffer added for shipping of the sample to the lab for analysis. The sample, which is taken by a trained medical practitioner, is simple to collect and requires no bowel (or other) preparation. OriCol™ has been used in >3000 patients and is well accepted. Comparison of the microbiome in OriCol™ and stool samples showed higher levels of Proteobacteria in the OriCol™ sample, consistent with collection of the mucosal microbiome (manuscript submitted). This study aims to build on these preliminary findings, comparing the OriCol™ and biopsy collection methods in terms of the microbiome and the intestinal/rectal immune cell populations present in the resulting samples.
We aim to assess the use of the OriCol™ device as a simple, convenient and inexpensive alternative to biopsy collection for investigation of the microbiome and mucosal immunology.REC name
North West - Liverpool Central Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/NW/0244
Date of REC Opinion
17 May 2017
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion