Biomarkers of ASM activation
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Blood biomarker signatures of airway smooth muscle activation in asthma
IRAS ID
233101
Contact name
Dominick Shaw
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Nottingham
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 6 months, 1 days
Research summary
This study aims to find out whether it is possible to determine markers of airway smooth muscle twitchiness/irritability. This will be done by testing people with asthma who have twitchy/irritable airways using a non-toxic chemical called methacholine. We will then use an analytical chemistry technique (mass spectroscopy) that helps identify the amount and type of chemicals present in a sample of a person’s blood to see if there are and seeing if there are different chemicals in their blood when compared to people without asthma.
We will also use a technique looking at chemical motifs attached to DNA to assess whether there is a difference between people who have irritable airway smooth muscle and people who don't.
Finally, we will look at the rate at which carbon dioxide is breathed out to see whether this changes in response to methacholine challenge and could similarly provide a marker of twitchy airways.
We will do this in 40 volunteers, 20 people with asthma and 20 people without.
This study directly addresses an unmet need in asthma, as recognised by the award of funding from Asthma UK's Innovation Grant. The current lack of the sort of biological marker this study is looking for makes it easy to misdiagnose asthma. This novel research would hopefully pave the way to improving this situation.
REC name
East Midlands - Nottingham 1 Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/EM/0432
Date of REC Opinion
3 Jan 2018
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion