GCSF for perianal Crohn's disease

  • Research type

    Research Study

  • Full title

    Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor for the treatment of perianal involvement in Crohn's disease.

  • IRAS ID

    80774

  • Contact name

    Bu'Hussain Hayee

  • Contact email

    b.hayee@nhs.net

  • Sponsor organisation

    King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

  • Eudract number

    2011-005527-40

  • Research summary

    Up to one-third of patients with Crohn’s disease (CD) develop abscesses and infection around the anus – termed perianal involvement (PI). This is often a very debilitating complication with significant physical, social and psychological effects. The cause of PI is not clear and it often responds very poorly to current treatments.

    Neutrophils are blood cells that fight infection and may be involved in development of PI in CD. People with inherited (genetic) disorders of neutrophil function often develop bowel inflammation and the majority have PI as part of this. In these patients, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) is a recommended treatment.
    Previous research has demonstrated that certain aspects of neutrophil function are abnormal in CD and can be boosted by using G-CSF.

    This medication has been used in a variety of conditions to improve the ability of patients to fight infection – and has even been used to treat bowel inflammation in CD (with some success). Although there have been a very small number of reports where G-CSF has been used for other reasons and had a healing effect on PI, it has never been formally studied as a treatment for PI.

    This project centres on a clinical trial of G-CSF as a new treatment for PI - and study of how it might be achieving its proposed effect.

  • REC name

    London - Dulwich Research Ethics Committee

  • REC reference

    14/LO/1619

  • Date of REC Opinion

    6 Oct 2014

  • REC opinion

    Further Information Favourable Opinion