Inflammatory Hair Diseases
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Study of Inflammatory Hair Diseases and Autoimmune Associations
IRAS ID
260082
Contact name
Matthew Harries
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
6 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
The purpose of this study is to look at different types of hair loss where inflammation may play a role in the disease process. The main conditions we wish to study are alopecia areata, lichen planopilaris, frontal fibrosing alopecia and female pattern hair loss. Using skin samples and blood tests we hope to identify key pathways important in the development of the different diseases and use samples to screen different treatment options to identify the most promising candidates to take forward to clinical trial. Scalp skin biopsies from areas of hair loss and /or blood tests will be compared with healthy control volunteers who do not have hair loss. Differences and similarities between these different conditions will be compared.
Specific areas we will be exploring include: type and distribution of inflammatory cells within the skin samples; inflammatory signals in the skin and blood that may be used as markers for diagnosis or to monitor treatment; the role of mitochondria and cell stress on disease development; screening candidate drugs that block inflammation within the skin or restore anti-inflammatory protective mechanisms; analysis of the gene profiles to identify susceptibility genes for disease development.
In doing so we hope to create new diagnostic techniques to aid early diagnosis and develop novel treatments to prevent and treat these conditions.
REC name
West Midlands - South Birmingham Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
19/WM/0230
Date of REC Opinion
19 Aug 2019
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion