Comparative arterial biology
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Comparative arterial biology: Determining the fundamental biological characteristics of arterial sites predisposed to aneurysmal degeneration.
IRAS ID
154047
Contact name
Matthew James Bown
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Leicester
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
19133, University of Leicester costing number
Research summary
Arterial aneurysms (swollen blood vessels) can cause harm through either bursting or blocking arteries. Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) are the most common form. These aneurysms can occur anywhere in the circulation but are more common at some sites (such as the abdominal aorta) and never occur in some arteries (such as the external iliac artery, in the pelvis). We know very little about how these aneurysms form or why the only affect certain sites. In this research project we will compare healthy arteries from sites where aneurysms are common to sites where they are not to determine if there is anything fundamentally different about the structure or biology of these arteries.
One of the problems with conducting research into arterial diseases is that it is very difficult to obtain healthy tissue samples to study since there are no routine operations performed on healthy blood vessels when biopsies could be taken for study, and taking biopsies purely for the purposes of research would place the research participants at unnecessary risk. One option to obtain these samples is to take them at the time of post-mortem examinations (autopsy) and building upon our institutions experience of using this approach to study other diseases we now wish to do the same but focussing on aneurysms.
We will obtain consent from the next of kin of individuals undergoing post-mortem examination to take tissue samples at the time of post-mortem examination from the main blood vessels that are accessible during these procedures (the aorta and its immediate branches). We will compare the biopsies taken from different sites using a combination of laboratory techniques to determine what differences occur at sites prone to aneurysms.
REC name
East Midlands - Leicester Central Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
14/EM/1089
Date of REC Opinion
13 Aug 2014
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion