Immune Mechanisms of Antipsychotic Treatment Response (IMAT)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Immune Mechanisms of Antipsychotic Treatment Response (IMAT)
IRAS ID
331728
Contact name
Thomas Pollak
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
King's College London
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
N/A, N/A
Duration of Study in the UK
6 years, 11 months, 31 days
Research summary
In this study we aim to investigate the role of the immune system in psychotic symptoms and their response to treatment. We will collect blood and cerebrospinal fluid samples from individuals with psychosis symptoms who are about to start or change to a new regular antipsychotic treatment as well as a control group for comparison. Participants will be assessed at two main timepoints, at visit 1 (Week 0) and at visit 2 (4 +/-2 weeks). For participants with psychosis symptoms visit 1 will take place at the start or change of antipsychotic medication. Our goal is to identify biomarkers that can aid in diagnosis, prognosis, treatment selection, and tracking treatment response.
We aim to recruit participants from the following groups:
1) Individuals with psychosis symptoms presenting to acute or outpatient services who are due to be started on or change to a new regular antipsychotic medication.
2) Age- and sex-matched control participants without neuropsychiatric disease.Participants with psychosis symptoms will be recruited from clinical services within South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust. Control participants may be recruited via online and offline channels. This may include posting on social media platforms, sharing information with local research networks or databases and displaying adverts on notice boards in public places in collaborating universities and NHS facilities.
Our findings could potentially impact the treatment of psychotic illnesses by offering mechanistic insights into targeted immune-based interventions for these disorders through high-resolution immunophenotyping techniques alongside targeted immunological assays. Ultimately, our research aims to contribute valuable resources for future studies exploring the connection between immune processes and neuropsychiatric conditions.
The study is funded by a grant from the Wellcome Trust, specifically the 'Mental Health Award - Looking Backwards, Moving Forward' award.
REC name
South Central - Oxford C Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
24/SC/0265
Date of REC Opinion
30 Dec 2024
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion