Developing non-invasive measures of airway glucose

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  Developing non-invasive measures of airway glucose using synthetic absorptive matrix (SAM)

• IRAS ID

  166507

• Contact name

  Patrick Mallia

• Contact email

  p.mallia@imperial.ac.uk

• Duration of Study in the UK

  0 years, 5 months, 30 days

• Research summary

  Lung infections caused by bacteria are common and a major contributor to high antibiotic usage. New treatments to prevent bacterial infections that do not require antibiotics are needed to prevent the development of antibiotic resistance. In healthy people the level of glucose in the lungs is tightly controlled but in patients with lung diseases such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) the concentration of glucose in the fluid that lines the airways may be elevated. Patients with high airway glucose levels are more susceptible to bacterial infection because the sugar-rich airways provide a better environment for bacterial growth. The anti-diabetic drug metformin can reduce bacterial infection in animal models and in cell lines in the laboratory. If patients with high airway glucose can be identified and their glucose levels reduced, the number of pulmonary bacterial infections could be reduced without increased use of antibiotics. However, currently the measurement of airway glucose in patients is invasive and inaccurate.
  The aim of this project is to develop a non-invasive technique for the measurement of airway glucose in healthy volunteers. The best way to measure airway glucose airway levels is with samples collected using bronchoscopy as this enables direct sampling of the airways, but this is an invasive procedure that cannot be used in large numbers of patients. This pilot study will compare glucose levels in samples collected using bronchoscopy with samples collected using non-invasive methods (nasal fluid, induced sputum and exhaled breath). Samples will be analysed for glucose and other nutrients using a commercial assay and High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). In addition we will measure glucose in samples collected and stored from previous projects. Having established the optimum method in healthy subjects we will then measure glucose levels in patients with COPD to attempt to predict patients at risk from lung infections.

• REC name

  London - Riverside Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  15/LO/0356

• Date of REC Opinion

  21 Apr 2015

• REC opinion

  Further Information Favourable Opinion