ERIN
Research type
Research Study
Full title
OMICs approaches to ENT / head and neck cancers – ‘ERIN’
IRAS ID
326375
Contact name
Luis A J Mur
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Aberystywyth University
Duration of Study in the UK
10 years, 10 months, 1 days
Research summary
We hope to use new microbiological technologies currently only available in Universities, to measure viral, bacterial and fungal changes occuring in the upper respiratory tract of patients with head and neck (ear, nose and throat (ENT)) cancer. We will be exploring the idea that head and neck cancer development may be caused or arise from changes in the throat and mouth areas. This will involve sampling of the upper respiratory tract (saliva, nasopharyngeal) for microbiomic (the total microbial population in a sample) assessments. We will also examine blood and urine from people who are suffering with head and neck cancer for changes linked to biochemical (metabolomic) and protein (proteomic) changes which could reflect the body's response to infection.
We will use advanced statistical approaches (including artificial intelligence software) to link microbiological, biochemical and protein patterns than are linked to different forms of ENT. This will increase our understanding of head and neck cancer and ultimately could suggest new treatment options.REC name
Wales REC 2
REC reference
23/WA/0148
Date of REC Opinion
19 May 2023
REC opinion
Unfavourable Opinion