The IDEA study
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Imaging the effects of interleukin-6R blockaDE on high-risk coronary Atherosclerosis (IDEA) study
IRAS ID
339880
Contact name
Jason Tarkin
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Trust and University of Cambridge
Duration of Study in the UK
5 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Coronary artery disease (CAD) occurs in half of all adults and can lead to heart attacks, the leading cause of death in the UK. Heart attacks are caused when ‘deposits’ (atherosclerotic plaques) in the heart arteries ‘break’ (rupture), causing a blockage to the blood supply. Atherosclerotic plaques develop as people get older and can be detected using CT. Some plaques seen by CT have characteristics to suggest they are inflamed and more prone to rupture. It is not known if people with these higher-risk plaques should receive treatments to lower inflammation, in addition to statins that lower cholesterol.
Some inflammation lowering medications being tested for heart disease are expensive and can cause unwanted side-effects. Re-purposing existing anti-inflammatory drugs used in other medical conditions could be beneficial for CAD. In this study, we will determine if a medication (called tocilizumab) currently used for rheumatic inflammatory diseases could lower arterial inflammation in people with CAD, using whole body positron-emission tomography (PET). PET can measure inflammation in the body by ‘tagging’ immune cells (such as macrophages) with radioactive labels.
This study will examine the effects of tocilizumab on arterial inflammation in people undergoing CT scanning for chest pain who have high-risk/ inflamed coronary plaques. Individuals will either receive tocilizumab or standard care for three months (decided at random) and will undergo repeat imaging with PET (using a tracer called 68Ga-DOTATATE) and CT over one year to measure changes in inflammation and plaque characteristics. In parallel, blood markers of inflammation will be measured before and after treatment and compared with imaging findings. Patients will also be screened for CHIP (age-related blood stem cell mutations), which drive inflammation and increases cardiovascular risk.
We will determine if 'cooling' down and stabilising high-risk plaques can slow CAD progression and potentially reduce the risk of future heart attacks.
REC name
East Midlands - Leicester South Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
26/EM/0048
Date of REC Opinion
12 Mar 2026
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion