OSTRICH Study
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Obesity Strategies:Translational Research Involving CHildren (OSTRICH)
IRAS ID
238077
Contact name
I S Farooqi
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Trust and University of Cambridge
Duration of Study in the UK
5 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
Obesity and its complications are associated with significant morbidity and mortality but research in this area is generally focussed on adults who already present with complications. The rising prevalence of obesity and obesity-related complications in the young has received less attention.
Over the last 20 years we have identified genetic obesity syndromes disrupting the leptin-melanocortin pathway that regulate body weight. We have shown that severe obesity presenting in early childhood has a strong biological basis and we now want to understand why some of our patients develop complications whilst others appear to be protected. We aim to identify the shared genetic, metabolic and physiological mechanisms that drive the development of obesity-related complications and to advance the recognition and management of such complications, identifying new mechanisms that can be targeted for therapeutic benefit.
In our cohort of over 7000 patients who presented with severe obesity in early childhood (Genetics Of Obesity Study (GOOS)) we have found that 10% have metabolic complications (defined as one/more of impaired glucose tolerance/type 2 diabetes, NAFLD, dyslipidaemia, hypertension, glomerulonephropathy) and 20% have non-metabolic complications including neuroendocrine abnormalities such as hypoventilation and behavioural disorders (likely driven by hypothalamic dysfunction). Some also present with non-allergic asthma and/or frequent infections which are less responsive to conventional treatments and may be driven by disordered T-cell mediated immunity.
Having identified those patients with complications and a matched group without complications, we aim to characterise the phenotypes in detail to identify factors that discriminate between them. Studies that comprehensively measure multiple clinical phenotypes in the same patients have not been performed to date and we are uniquely placed to undertake such a study in this area.
This study is funded by an award from the Botnar Foundation who solely support work that is intended to lead to the improvement of health of children.REC name
East of England - Cambridge South Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
18/EE/0032
Date of REC Opinion
13 Mar 2018
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion