The PRECISION Partners Platform (P3)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The PRECISION Partners Platform (P3) study: a multi-centre, multi-sample-type approach to establish alternatives to sputum culture for detecting lung infections in cystic fibrosis, and better understand host/ microbe interactions
IRAS ID
356585
Contact name
Jane C Davies
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Imperial College London
Duration of Study in the UK
4 years, 2 months, 31 days
Research summary
Infections of the lungs are the most common problem for people with Cystic Fibrosis (CF), but also are significant in people with other lung conditions known as chronic suppurative lung disease (CSLD). It is important to detect these early, in order to treat them and prevent damage to the lungs. At the moment we rely on sputum culture or cough swabs, however, some people (for example small children or those with less severe disease) are not able to provide these, and cough swabs are less accurate. Additionally, although modulators such as Kaftrio and Ivacaftor have had significant positive effects on most patients taking them, these patients often find they no longer produce sputum, and therefore we are not able to test for infections in the same way we did before. Some studies have shown that although lots of patients have fewer infections after starting modulators, patients are still getting some infections, and therefore we still need a reliable way to test for them.
Furthermore, we have seen that some people react differently to certain infections, and people with more than one infection simultaneously, also respond differently to these infections.We would like to find new, reliable, non-invasive ways of testing for infections that does not require sputum and are acceptable for patients in order to detect and treat lung infections early. Additionally, we would like to better understand what causes the differing responses patients have to infections, in order to see if there are new ways we can target treatments.
The study is being undertaken in multiple centres across the UK in order to recruit a larger, more diverse and representative group of participants, than we would be able to achieve from one centre alone.
REC name
North East - Tyne & Wear South Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
25/NE/0223
Date of REC Opinion
7 Jan 2026
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion