Study to investigate longitudinal changes in breath biomarkers in IPF
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A pilot study to investigate longitudinal changes in breath biomarkers in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis
IRAS ID
227743
Contact name
Stephen Fowler
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University Hospital of South Manchester
Research summary
Research Summary
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic lung condition associated with poor prognosis and an average life expectancy worse than most cancers. Effective treatment which slows the progression of IPF has recently become available however it is costly and at present is limited to patients who meet specific criteria based on their breathing tests. The breathing tests currently available to monitor progression of the disease are not always reliable and do not predict which patients will respond to treatment. The purpose of this study is to use a technique which analyses breath samples to provide a profile of the chemicals which are present in the exhaled breath of patients with IPF. We want to know whether this breath profile changes over time and whether this can be used to predict which patients are likely to have rapid progression of their disease. We hope that this will provide an accurate way of monitoring the disease and predicting progression. We also plan to look at the breath profile of patients receiving specific disease modifying treatment for IPF to see whether breath analysis can predict which patients will respond to treatment. We will perform an observational cohort study of patients with IPF over the course of 12 months who will be receiving standard care at 2 UK NHS hospitals. We will see them at 4 visits at 3 month intervals (+/- 4 weeks) to take breath samples, blood samples and complete a questionnaire.Summary of Results
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) present in breath are different between patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and healthy controls and could discriminate between groups with a high level of accuracy. Levels of VOCs were also associated with disease progression and death. Other VOCs changed in response to treatment to anti-scarring medication. The results suggest that VOCs may be useful as a potential biomarker in IPF.REC name
Wales REC 6
REC reference
17/WA/0339
Date of REC Opinion
27 Nov 2017
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion