Genomics of diabetic retinopathy in the UK
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Investigating diabetic retinopathy: A study of the clinical epidemiology, cellular and population genomics of diabetic retinopathy among primary care patients in the UK.
IRAS ID
161869
Contact name
Manjinder Sandhu
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Genome Research Limited (Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute)
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
NIHR portfolio, NIHR CSP 161869
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 2 months, 31 days
Research summary
Diabetic eye disease (known as diabetic retinopathy; DR) is a common complication of all types of diabetes. DR is a progressive disease and if left untreated will, in time, result in blindness; individuals with diabetes are 10 to 20 times more likely to go blind than people without diabetes. DR constitutes a major public health problem. It is one of the most common causes of sight loss in people of working age. With early detection (eg. through screening) and treatment, the burden of DR might be reduced.
There may be genetic determinants underlying the aetiology of DR. Therefore, understanding the aetiology of DR through genetic studies might provide opportunities to identify and potentially develop new target therapeutic strategies for the management and control of this disorder. Identification of the genetic variants underlying its susceptibility might also enable the stratification of patients by disease risk, and more efficient targeting of healthcare resources.
The aim of our study is to establish a unique framework for understanding the aetiology of diabetic retinopathy. By using population-based approaches to collect blood samples and detailed standardised clinical data from electronic health records, we aim to develop an epidemiological and genomic resource comprising participants with DR and practice-matched controls.
REC name
East of England - Cambridge South Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
14/EE/1184
Date of REC Opinion
9 Dec 2014
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion