ROBOT
Research type
Research Study
Full title
ROBOT: Rome foundation research institute biomarker and phenotyping project
IRAS ID
348227
Contact name
Imran Aziz
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
NA, NA
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 5 months, 1 days
Research summary
Functional gastrointestinal disorders, or disorders of gut-brain interaction (DGBI) are currently diagnosed by use of the Rome IV criteria, consisting of a combination of symptoms and the absence of abnormal findings on a minimal number of clinical tests. The pathophysiology of DGBI is incompletely understood, but the current hypothesis is that they are caused by abnormalities of the brain-gut axis, including abnormalities within the GI tract, in different parts of the nervous system and/or in the communication between the gut and the brain. Recent research suggests that abnormalities detected in faecal, blood, urine, or in physiological / behavioural tests can be associated with subsets of patients with DGBI.
By using a combination of symptoms, the diagnostic accuracy and predictive ability of the diagnostic model has been improved.
In the UK the aim of this research project is to develop a collection of “clinical phenotypes” of patients with gastrointestinal disorders.
This will be achieved by;
1. Participants completing the questionnaire (RFRI phenotyping tool©)
2. Uploading de-identified clinical data to help better profile the clinical case as presented within the questionnaire data.REC name
South Central - Hampshire A Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
25/SC/0235
Date of REC Opinion
14 Jul 2025
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion