RAS biomarker studies in ageing and neurodegenerative disease
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Studies of the central and peripheral renin angiotensin system (RAS) in ageing, cognitive function and neurodegenerative diseases.
IRAS ID
318350
Contact name
Patrick Kehoe
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Bristol
Duration of Study in the UK
5 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
Considerable evidence now exists, generated predominantly by us, from post mortem brain tissue, showing that imbalance in the renin angiotensin system (RAS) occurs in ageing and moreso in Alzheimer's disease (AD).
This imbalance is towards increased activity of what is now called the classical RAS (cRAS), more commonly known for its role in causing high blood pressure (a risk factor for AD), and concurrent reductions in the more recently recognised regulatory (rRAS), which reduces the effects of AngII function.
These findings have contributed to the design of intervention trials of AngII blocking drugs that so far have had mixed results, but there are others still planned.
This study now seeks to extend our understanding of RAS in AD in relation to how RAS might demonstrate similar changes in peripheral tissues (i.e. outside the brain) in relation to disease progression, but also, given that AngII seems to have properties that also promote neurodegenerative mechanisms, to study brain and peripheral tissues from other conditions that are related to and may give rise to AD. We have already been approached by 2 clinical studies in the US (Emory University, John’s Hopkins) and collaborative interest from two brain banks (UCI MIND USC Irvine (Down’s Syndrome), and UNITE, Boston University(Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE))) who all want to investigate RAS imbalance in their cohorts. We wish to support these important ethically approved studies, that would be performed alongside several other brain tissue-related studies underway under South West Dementia Brain Bank (University of Bristol) tissue bank ethics approval. We seek this approval for the import of these tissue from overseas, not covered by UK Tissue Bank approval, and for the study of blood samples previously collected in our own recent RAS-targeting RADAR Trial (MREC:12/WA/0338) to inform the biomarker potential of RAS in AD and neurodegenerative disease.
REC name
London - Harrow Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
22/PR/1643
Date of REC Opinion
19 Dec 2022
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion