Histological study of CPA
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Understanding the pathogenesis of chronic pulmonary aspergillosis using detailed histological analysis of resected tissue.
IRAS ID
270317
Contact name
Chris Kosmidis
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Manchester
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (CPA), a lung infection caused by the fungus Aspergillus, develops in patients with underlying chronic lung disease without overt immunodeficiency and can lead to significant morbidity and mortality. As Aspergillus usually infects people with weakened immune systems, it is assumed that patients who suffer from CPA must have a dysfunction in their immune system. However, the precise immunological defect is not known. In addition, once established, CPA can have a variable course from clinically minimal disease to fulminant destruction of the lung.
CPA is characterised by a slowly progressive lesion in the lung, usually in the form of a cavity, which may contain a fungus ball. Very little is known about the nature of these lesions as biopsies are not performed often. However, at the National Aspergillosis Centre a large number of patients have been referred and have had surgical resection of fungal balls, with histological samples available at the Pathology Department of Wythenshawe Hospital, Manchester University FT.
A detailed study of the types of cells that form part of the CPA lesions (cavity and fungus ball) will enhance our understanding of this disease. This will be a two-stage project: initially, a detailed review of the histology slides with an additional stain will be performed. This will lead to an understanding of the basic composition of the cells. Depending on this, in the second stage, additional stains will be performed to understand the type of immune response around the CPA cavity.
Only samples from patients who have already given consent before their operation for their tissues to be used for research purposes will be included. By understanding the immune response in CPA, we hope to be able to identify patients at risk for CPA, which will lead to more rapid diagnosis or prevention in the future.REC name
Yorkshire & The Humber - Sheffield Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
19/YH/0419
Date of REC Opinion
3 Dec 2019
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion