Blood and sputum leukocyte function in respiratory diseases
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Assessing blood and sputum leukocyte function in respiratory infection and inflammation
IRAS ID
254317
Contact name
Paul Pfeffer
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Barts Health NHS Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
4 years, 11 months, 31 days
Research summary
Immune responses within the lungs of healthy individuals are carefully regulated to ensure lung health and prevent damaging lung infections. However in disease immune responses within the lungs often cause the damage and fail to control infection – there is an important interplay between respiratory infections and the immune responses in lung diseases such as asthma and COPD. By comparing, between healthy individuals and patients with lung diseases, how immune cells respond to stimuli such as infections we can learn more about what causes these diseases and how best to treat them.
In this study we will collect samples of blood and sputum (phlegm) from healthy individuals and patients with lung diseases. From these samples we will isolate immune cells that we will further study and compare to clinical measures of lung health. We will examine how specific immune cells respond and whether there are shortages or excesses of certain inflammatory immune cells in blood and sputum of patients with disease.
This research is being conducted in research laboratories Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) with samples donated by patients from Barts Health NHS Trust and healthy individuals. For participants there is a single short study visit in which the samples and basic clinical information are collected.
REC name
South Central - Berkshire Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
19/SC/0361
Date of REC Opinion
10 Jul 2019
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion