RESPI-SAM
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Nasal, Tracheal and Bronchial Mucosal Lining Fluid (MLF) Sampling from Patients with Respiratory Diseases
IRAS ID
136158
Contact name
Onn Min Kon
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Imperial College London
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 17 days
Research summary
We aim to study the inflammation that occurs in respiratory diseases such as interstitial lung disease (ILD), sarcoidosis, tuberculosis (TB), asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This tells us about the molecular basis of these diseases, aids in their diagnosis and stratification, and determines management. The lungs are a difficult site to sample especially in people with severe disease as techniques such as bronchoscopy are invasive and require a specialised team of staff in a bronchoscopy clinical area. Current methods of sampling can be time consuming and labour intensive. It has become apparent that we need to develop alternative approaches to study the underlying immunological mechanisms.
The clinical research team at St Mary’s Hospital has developed techniques of sampling the mucosal lining fluid (MLF) of the respiratory epithelium. This involves precise sampling from the surface of the inflamed airways. The composition of the MLF reflects the inflammation in the underlying respiratory mucosa (1). These absorptive sampling (nasosorption and bronchsorption) methods provide undiluted clinical samples. These have higher levels of detectable mediators than previously found in broncho-alveolar lavage (BAL) and exhaled breath condensate (EBC).
Nasosorption™ and Bronchosorption™ devices and associated procedures have been primarily used to assess patients with asthma and allergy. At St Mary’s Hospital, the bronchosorption procedure has been performed on over 500 occasions, including patients with moderate asthma receiving inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) and patients experiencing an asthma exacerbation (1).
Novel treatments such as biological therapies only treat subgroups of patients with a disease. Being able to study underlying inflammation can stratify patients allowing us to characterise inflammation to target treatment for the appropriate patient. There is also a potential to identify new prognostic markers that can help predict the course of the disease.
REC name
London - West London & GTAC Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/LO/0444
Date of REC Opinion
1 May 2015
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion