Yeasts in gut, version 0.1
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Assessing the ecological role of yeasts in the human gut
IRAS ID
255168
Contact name
Jeremy Sanderson
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Reading
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 8 months, 30 days
Research summary
Bacteria and yeasts that live in the human gut play an integral role in health and disease. A good balance of healthy microorganisms in the gut promotes health, whereas, certain microorganisms are potentially harmful and can cause gut disorders.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) are both chronic debilitating gut disorders that profoundly affect the sufferer and burden healthcare services. IBD and IBS have unknown causes, however, the presence of yeasts in the gut are suggested to contribute to both disorders.This research will focus on how yeasts function in the guts of IBS and IBD patients compared to healthy subjects to give a better understanding of what is responsible for the symptoms.
A urine, stool and blood sample will be collected from 40 IBS and 40 IBS subjects (20-60 years old) recruited from Guy's and St. Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust hospitals. Caecal content and mucosal brushing samples will be collected from a subset of 10 IBD patients undergoing a colonoscopy as part of their routine care. This recruitment phase is anticipated to take around 1 year.
Samples will be transported back to the University of Reading where the presence of yeasts in stool will be analysed as well as what they are producing which could also be implicated in causing the symptoms of the disorders.
Yeasts may be involved in causing the debilitating symptoms that affect quality of life, the economy and healthcare system. Therefore, it is justified to understand how yeasts function in the human gut to potentially target yeasts as a therapy to alleviate the sufferers’ pain, as well as the burden on society.
REC name
South Central - Hampshire B Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
20/SC/0115
Date of REC Opinion
27 Apr 2020
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion