Raman for CSF Analysis
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Feasibility of cerebrospinal fluid analysis with Raman spectroscopy
IRAS ID
260204
Contact name
Benjamin Wakerley
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Gloucestershire Royal Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 11 months, 30 days
Research summary
Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is the colourless fluid which surrounds the brain and spinal cord and provides mechanical and immunological protection. CSF is 99% water, but also contains various salts, small molecules, proteins and occasionally blood cells. The composition of CSF can change in certain neurological conditions and therefore provides important clues for diagnosis. When required a small volume of CSF (5-10ml) is collected by lumbar puncture (spinal tap) for analysis in the laboratory. Typically analysis only includes: glucose level, protein level, cell count, microscopy for cells, and culture. More specific tests are also available and may strongly support diagnosis in some conditions when present. In many neurological diseases, however, there are no specific CSF tests. Identifying biomarkers in CSF in these conditions would aid diagnosis and could potentially determine therapeutic options and prognosis. Moreover, the exact composition of CSF in many neurological conditions remains unknown and therefore warrants further investigation. In this study Raman spectroscopy (RS) will be used to analyse CSF which is routinely collected as part of the neurological work-up for patients. RS is a non-destructive analytical technique that uses light to interrogate the biochemistry of a sample. Shining intense light of a known wavelength onto a sample excites molecular vibrations and this causes a small but detectable change in the wavelength of the light; this is known as the Raman effect. The changes in wavelength are unique to the molecules in the sample and measuring the changes in wavelength creates a biomolecular fingerprint of the sample. By examining changes in the fingerprints due to disease we can gain insights into the biochemistry of the disease as well as use the fingerprint itself as a marker for disease. RS has been shown to be effective in the diagnosis of certain cancers and used to identify certain infectious agents.
REC name
East Midlands - Derby Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
19/EM/0090
Date of REC Opinion
8 Apr 2019
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion