INflammation and small vessel disease (SVD) (INSVD) study

  • Research type

    Research Study

  • Full title

    INflammation and small vessel disease (SVD) (INSVD) study

  • IRAS ID

    312747

  • Contact name

    Hugh, S Markus

  • Contact email

    hsm32@medschl.cam.ac.uk

  • Sponsor organisation

    Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust & the University of Cambridge

  • Duration of Study in the UK

    4 years, 0 months, 1 days

  • Research summary

    Cerebral small vessel disease (SVD) causes a quarter of strokes and it is also the second most important contributor to dementia. Despite its importance we have very few effective treatments for the disease. Academic and funder consensus statements have highlighted that a major problem to developing new treatments is a lack of understanding of the underlying physiological processes associated with small vessel disease. Early data suggests that dysregulated immune response, the reaction of the body immune system in response to infection, may play a major role in disease process by which SVD develops and progress. However, it is only by understanding in detail which components are dysregulated in the disease, and which are related to disease progression, that we can develop rational approaches to intervene therapeutically.
    In this research study we will recruit study participants with SVD to characterize the abnormalities in the immune system both in the blood, and also in the brain using advanced brain imaging, and work out how these relate to disease progression. This information may allow us to design drug interventions to inhibit this inflammation and we hope improve outcome by reducing stroke and dementia.
    The study will be conducted in both Cambridge, UK, and Nijmegen, Netherlands, with 100 of the 200 total participants recruited at each site, and data from both sites analysed together.

  • REC name

    East of England - Cambridge Central Research Ethics Committee

  • REC reference

    22/EE/0141

  • Date of REC Opinion

    11 Jul 2022

  • REC opinion

    Further Information Favourable Opinion