NUGIT
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Mechanisms of Neoplasia in the Upper Gastrointestinal tract (NUGIT)
IRAS ID
250958
Contact name
Mark Pritchard
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Liverpool
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Cancer of the stomach, or gastric cancer, is a fairly uncommon type of cancer. Around 7,000 people are diagnosed with it each year in the UK. A gastroentero-pancreatic neuroendocrine tumour (or GEP-NET for short) is an even rarer, slow growing type of cancer. One form of this tumour (type 1 g-NET) occurs in patients who have already developed changes in the microscopic structure of the stomach known as atrophic gastritis. We are investigating a new medicine that may prevent or treat type 1 g-NETs. In due course patients may be able to avoid life changing surgery.
In this new research, we wish to create mini 3 dimensional stomachs (gastroids) from biopsies and investigate how they responds to treatment in the lab. We will also look at various proteins and genes that the gastroid expresses in response to treatment. A blood sample taken at the same time will also be analysed for genes and proteins that may contribute to the development of upper gastrointestinal tumours.
Furthermore with the patient's permission, we would like to use blood and tissue samples to generate a library of stem cell cell-lines for future research. The results could, in the long term, help in developing new ways to halt the progression of cancer in the gastrointestinal tract or develop new drugs for treatment of cancer and other stomach diseases.
We aim to recruit about 100 patients who have had a gastroscopy (a camera into the stomach/duodenum), 50 patients with Type 1 g-NET and 50 healthy patients. Patients will be identified and recruited for the study from the endoscopy unit at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital.
REC name
North West - Liverpool Central Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
19/NW/0039
Date of REC Opinion
15 Apr 2019
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion