UTOPIA study - version 1.0
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Understanding tolerance in pregnancy and in autoimmunity (UTOPIA)
IRAS ID
162563
Contact name
Stephen J Sawcer
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Cambridge
Research summary
It is well recognised that pregnancy exerts a profound effect upon disease activity in autoimmune conditions. In multiple sclerosis there is a marked decrease in relapse rate during pregnancy followed by an increase in that rate for a time after delivery. These changes in disease activity are presumably a consequence of the alterations in immune function that are essential to prevent rejection of the foetus; which necessarily carries foreign elements inherited from the father. Little is known about the mechanisms behind this tolerance but we believe that such knowledge will be highly informative regarding the nature of the disturbances occurring in autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis.
We are therefore proposing a longitudinal investigation of gene function in circulating immune cells during and after pregnancy. We propose to study 20 women from the Rosie maternity hospital ante-natal clinic and collect blood at 12 weeks, 20 weeks and 35 weeks of gestation, and then at 4 weeks and 16 weeks post-delivery. At each time point we will separate out specific white blood cells called T-cells and then measure the extent to which each gene is being used by those cells using a method known as RNAseq. This method works by sequencing a chemical code called RNA, a material which cells make when they copy a gene from the DNA in order to use that gene. RNAseq is extremely sensitive and gives very detailed information about which genes cells are using and how much of each gene is being used. At the final time point we will also extract DNA so that we can correlate expression changes with genetic differences between individuals - we will look especially at those DNA variants that are known to be important in autoimmune diseases.REC name
East of England - Essex Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
14/EE/1127
Date of REC Opinion
13 Oct 2014
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion