Immune Responses to Treatments and Vaccinations in MPN Patients
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Characterisation of the Immune Response to Treatment and Vaccinations in Patients with Myeloproliferative Neoplasms
IRAS ID
160504
Contact name
Samah Alimam
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Guy's and St. Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 2 months, 18 days
Research summary
Myeloproliferative Neoplasms (MPN) are a family of chronic blood diseases and include the conditions essential thrombocythaemia, polycythaemia vera and myelofibrosis. The body's immune system is responsible for defense against infections and comprises several different functions of white blood cells. We now know that patients with MPN have a compromised immune system, even if they do not have increased numbers of infections. High levels of so-called inflammatory proteins have been found in the blood of patients with MPN. These proteins are usually seen when the body is suffering from infection or diseases associated with inflammation such as rheumatoid arthritis for example. Such inflammatory proteins have been shown to affect adequate functioning of the immune system. A class of drugs called JAK inhibitors have now been developed which can reduce the symptoms and big spleen that some patients with MPN may have. Our group and others have recently shown that JAK inhibitors can cause other changes in the immune system of patients with MPN.
In this research project we will aim to study the baseline immune system and then assess the immune response to the various treatments that are used for MPN. We will also assess the response to the routine annual influenza ‘flu’ vaccine in MPN patients who are not on any treatments and those who are on treatments such as Interferon or JAK inhibitors. These results will then be compared to a cohort of individuals without MPN to determine if there any differences.REC name
West Midlands - Solihull Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/WM/0370
Date of REC Opinion
23 Oct 2015
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion