Breath Analysis in People with Sarcoidosis
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Soluble Interleukin-2 Receptor as a Novel Breath Based Biomarker in Pulmonary Sarcoidosis
IRAS ID
244690
Contact name
Andrew Wilson
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
The University of East Anglia
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 3 months, 3 days
Research summary
Sarcoidosis is a chronic condition which may involve any part of the body, however primarily affects the lungs. The clinical course and prognosis is extremely variable, therefore for many patients it can be difficult to predict how they will be affected by the disease. Some patients have a mild form of the disease that does not require any specific treatment and they recover fully, however, in some patients permanent scarring (fibrosis) of the lungs may occur if left untreated.
Apart from relying on breathing tests and imaging of the chest, it can be difficult to predict disease severity as well as identify those who will require or respond to treatment, which is often prolonged and can be associated with significant side-effects. There is a growing need to identify biomarkers to help diagnose and predict a patients clinical course and prognosis with greater ease and precision. Several biomarkers have been explored however many are not specific to sarcoidosis. Furthermore, many require invasive sampling techniques and are unsuitable for repeated measurements. Of all the biomarkers evaluated, soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2R) has shown promising potential.
The purpose of this study is to use a technique which captures exhaled breath to establish if sIL-2R is present in exhaled breath of sarcoidosis patients. We also want to determine if this correlates with lung function tests, blood tests currently used to monitor the disease as well as health related quality-of-life questionnaire scores. Breath sampling has the advantage of being entirely non-invasive and therefore may provide an alternative method of monitoring the disease. We will perform a pilot study in patients with newly diagnosed sarcoidosis and will see them at a single visit to take a breath sample, blood test and complete a questionnaire. Repeated sampling will also take place in four patients to assess for reproducibility.
REC name
Yorkshire & The Humber - Leeds East Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
18/YH/0171
Date of REC Opinion
2 May 2018
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion