DERAIL-LVV
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Dual Endothelin Receptor Antagonism in Large Vessel Vasculitis (DERAIL-LVV)
IRAS ID
348224
Contact name
Neeraj Dhaun
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Edinburgh
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Large vessel vasculitis (LVV) is a condition which involves inflammation of medium- and large-sized blood vessels. Over time, this inflammation can permanently damage the blood vessels leading to pain, vision loss, and blood vessel rupture. Treatment is usually effective in the short term. However, the disease is a lifelong condition, and relapse is common. Longer-term, affected patients have a high risk of cardiovascular disease, including heart attacks and strokes. Currently, little is known about why this is the case, and so little can be done to reduce this risk.
The ‘endothelium’ is an important layer within blood vessels which controls their response to stress. If the endothelium is damaged, it can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. My previous work has suggested that a damaged endothelium may be at least partly responsible for the increased cardiovascular disease risk in LVV. If this is the case, then drugs which improve the endothelium may also be able to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Thus, this study aims to assess the function of the endothelium in detail in patients with LVV, and to see if this can be improved with a drug which targets the endothelium called 'bosentan'. We will recruit a group of patients with LVV and a group of similarly aged people without LVV. First, we will assess the function of the endothelium in both groups; next, the LVV group will receive bosentan for a period of 6 weeks. Following this, we will assess the function of the endothelium again.
We believe that patients with LVV will have a poorly working endothelium compared to similarly aged people without LVV, and that this will improve after 6 weeks of bosentan treatment.
REC name
North East - Newcastle & North Tyneside 1 Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
25/NE/0011
Date of REC Opinion
4 Feb 2025
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion