Better tests for ILD

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  ‘Better tests’ – improving diagnostic accuracy and prognostication in ILD

• IRAS ID

  348505

• Contact name

  Mark Spears

• Contact email

  mark.spears@nhs.scot

• Sponsor organisation

  NHS Tayside

• Duration of Study in the UK

  10 years, 0 months, 0 days

• Research summary

  Patients with interstitial lung diseases (ILD) suffer significant delays in obtaining a diagnosis, and objective evidence of support for immunosuppressive therapies, due to weaknesses in the diagnostic tests available in ILD clinics. Patients are currently observed, with risk of significant decline due to disease progression before this is arrested with anti-fibrotic treatment. With respect to immunosuppressive therapies, these are provided 'blindly' with significant variation based on clinician and clinical team biases, with no guarantee of useful effect (but side effects likely), and with effects only being detectable after treatment has been in place for several months, or longer.
  This project will assess several non-invasive assessments, focusing on blood and breath based sampling, to identify candidate tests that may translate through to routine clinical use. The tests being assessed will be initially employed in Pigeon Fanciers, a group recognised to be at high risk of developing ILD compared to age matched controls, due to their regular exposure to a known cause of ILD. Pigeon Fanciers will be recruited at research events at large meetings held by this group, which will allow assessment of tests for use distant from specialised laboratories, and hence ease of use in primary care or hospital clinics with limited access to research laboratories. Candidate tests will also be assessed for change over time in this group. Finally, tests which show promise will then be utilised in patients with ILD diagnoses, including those with severe respiratory failure, to assess their acceptability to patients and their ability to provide useful prognostic information, to allow powering of future definitive clinical trials.

• REC name

  North East - Tyne & Wear South Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  25/NE/0202

• Date of REC Opinion

  10 Nov 2025

• REC opinion

  Further Information Favourable Opinion