Immunobiology of leprosy version 4

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  Investigation of the role of Toll-like receptors in leprosy

• IRAS ID

  97587

• Contact name

  Diana Lockwood

• Contact email

  Diana.Lockwood@lshtm.ac.uk

• Research summary

  Individuals with clinically documented leprosy attending the clinic at the Hospital of Tropical Diseases will be recruited after their informed consent. A 50mL venous blood sample will be taken and a 6mm punch biopsies of skin where lesions have appeared.

  The type of leprosy an individual develops depends on their immune response to Mycobacterium leprae infection; Tuberculoid leprosy, borderline leprosy, and lepromatous leprosy.
  If they develop type 1;where borderline forms of leprosy change toward lepromatous leprosy (reversal) or type 2;where borderline or lepromatous forms reacts to immune complexes (Erythema Nodosum Leprosum ENL)) an additional 50mL blood sample will be collected.

  30 participants will be recruited in total, split equally over 6 categories; type 1, type 2, lepromatous and borderline participants with no history of ENL, borderline participants with no history of reversal reactions, participants post-ENL, participants post-reversal reaction.

  These samples will be used for a laboratory based research study assessing the role of a family of pattern recognition receptors called Toll-like receptors (TLR) in leprosy and in type 1 and 2 leprosy reactions. Our hypotheses is that M.leprae stimulates certain Toll-like receptors and their signalling pathways both in vitro and in vivo and that gene and protein expression of TLRs and certain products of downstream signalling pathways are increased in leprosy reactions. These samples will be used to complement the in vitro work which will be performed in cell lines.
  We will look for the expression of these receptors in the skin biopsies. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) will also be isolated from the blood samples and will be sorted into macrophages. Staining will follow to assess the protein expression of specific Toll-like receptors. Signature cytokines (signalling molecules) of TLR signalling pathways will be estimated in plasma using a test called ELISA, in order to compare reactional participants with non-reactional matched controls.

• REC name

  London - Camden & Kings Cross Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  13/LO/1269

• Date of REC Opinion

  2 Oct 2013

• REC opinion

  Favourable Opinion