Alteration in immune response during dyslipidaemia
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Investigation of immune regulation and cellular response in patients with dyslipidaemia
IRAS ID
236524
Contact name
Cristiano/C Scotta
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
King's College London
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 3 months, 22 days
Research summary
Atherosclerosis is characterised by slow progressing chronic inflammation in which an accumulation of lipid-laden plaques occurs in arteries. This can lead to blocking of the vessels which can result in complications including stroke and heart attack. Whilst the exact cause of atherosclerosis remains unknown, it has been well established that hyperlipidaemia (increased fat levels in the blood) is a risk factors for atherosclerosis.
‘Hyperlipidaemia’ is an umbrella terms used to refer to any disorder that result in a high level of lipids circulating in the blood. The white blood cells present within the blood constitute the immune system, these cells exist in parallel with circulating lipids.
In this project we hope to specifically investigate the immune cells present within individuals falling into the following groups: those with secondary hyperlipidaemia, those with genetically caused familial hyperlipidaemia or healthy controls. We wish to do this by extracting the immune cells from whole blood for ex vivo (outside of the body) experimentation; focusing on phenotype (their characteristics) and function (how they work).
We will place an emphasis on investigating whether T-regulatory cells (Tregs) are specifically affected by hyperlipidemia. Tregs are essential suppressive members of the adaptive immune system, comprising 5-10% of all peripheral CD4+ cells. Dysregulation of these cells is associated with cardiovascular disease such as atherosclerosis. The nature of this dysregulation is not yet fully understood and it is what we wish to investigate further.
We hope that by better understanding the effect of hyperlipidaemia on immune system (especially Tregs) and the action it has, we could potentially try to prevent any negative effect by developing treatments for hyperlipidemia without detrimental effects to the immune system.REC name
London - Queen Square Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
18/LO/1814
Date of REC Opinion
19 Oct 2018
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion