Investigation of monocyte lifespan and kinetics in healthy version 1.0
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Assessment of monocyte distribution in healthy volunteers using radio labelled leukocytes
IRAS ID
276246
Contact name
Charlotte Summers
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and University of Cambridge
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 0 months, days
Research summary
Monocytes are a type of white blood cell that are central players in the immune system. However, they can also worsen disease (for example in rheumatoid arthritis and lung injury). It is known that monocytes worsen damage by releasing proteins and chemicals that potentiate inflammation. Although much is known about the end-stage damage caused by monocytes, less is known about where monocytes circulate in healthy individuals.
We have previously studied closely related white blood cells called neutrophils by purifying them from blood, labelling them with radioactivity, and then re−injecting them into the donor; we have then taken blood samples and used scanners to follow the labelled cells as they disappear from the bloodstream and appear elsewhere in the body. Using this method we have answered questions about the behaviour of neutrophils in healthy volunteers and in patients with lung disease. This is a safe process and is the basis for the clinical white cell scan.
We now wish to apply these techniques to human monocytes. The goal of this project is to purify monocytes from blood samples, tag them with tiny amounts of harmless radioactivity, re-inject them back into the bloodstream, and use sensitive cameras to follow how they circulate in the body. This will allow us to establish where they accumulate and how they are finally disposed of in health volunteers. This work will form the first phase of a study to establish monocyte migration in healthy volunteers before we embark on studies looking at monocyte migration in RA patients and patients with lung disease.
REC name
East of England - Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
20/EE/0079
Date of REC Opinion
8 Jul 2020
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion