BEUTI
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Beyond the Eosinophil: Understanding the impact of eosinophil depletion on T2 Inflammation. (BEUTI)
IRAS ID
310865
Contact name
David Jackson
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
King's College London
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
Over 5 million people in the UK have asthma of varying severity. Eosinophils are a type of white blood cell that are linked to allergy and inflammation and are raised in people with severe asthma. Increased levels of eosinophils can cause inflammation in the lungs, increasing the risk of asthma attacks. The standard treatment for asthma involves taking inhaled glucocorticosteroid medication which primarily work by suppressing eosinophilic inflammation in the lungs. With this treatment, the majority of people with asthma have no or very few asthma symptoms but those with severe asthma have ongoing eosinophilic inflammation despite this treatment and remain highly symptomatic and continue to experience frequent asthma attacks.
Benralizumab is a relatively new treatment that is approved by NICE for patients with severe asthma and ongoing eosinophilic inflammation that remains poorly controlled despite high dose inhaled corticosteroid medication. Benralizumab targets a receptor on the surface of eosinophils called IL-5R leading to the rapid death of these cells and consequently a reduction in airways inflammation. In clinical trials, benralizumab has been shown to reduce both symptoms and the number of asthma attacks suffered by those with severe eosinophilic asthma. However, it remains unclear whether this clinical efficacy relates purely to the removal of the eosinophil, or additionally to the impact of this on other parts of the immune system.
The BEUTI study will examine how benralizumab affects the structure and function of the airway cells in people with severe eosinophilic asthma and how the immune function of these cells changes with treatment. The aim is to take samples of cells from the airways during a bronchoscopy (a camera test looking into the lungs) before starting benralizumab and after 12 weeks of treatment. These investigations will allow us to better understand how benralizumab affects the cells within the airways.
REC name
Yorkshire & The Humber - South Yorkshire Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
23/YH/0018
Date of REC Opinion
27 Feb 2023
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion