Investigation of neuroinflammation following traumatic brain injury
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Investigation of neuroinflammation following traumatic brain injury
IRAS ID
288147
Contact name
Nicholas Barnes
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Birmingham
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the leading cause of death and disability in the first four decades of life. For those patients who survive, there are frequently long-term complications, such as chronic pain, epilepsy, and paralysis. Despite the obvious unmet clinical need, there are no approved drugs available to reduce the impact of TBI.
Whilst it would be difficult for a drug to reduce the actual injury, it is well recognised that inflammation caused by the initial trauma spreads to the surrounding brain tissue resulting in an expansion in the area and volume of brain damage. This ‘secondary’ brain damage has been well-studied using animal models. It begins within hours to days after the initial TBI event and is considered amenable to potential treatment with drugs.
This 3-year study is funded by the Medical Research Council and will examine human brain tissues and cells in vitro to investigate the effect of therapeutics designed to reduce secondary brain inflammation following TBI. The participants will be patients undergoing neurosurgery at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham consented for the donation of samples arising from routine surgical procedures. These may be chunks of tissue removed to enable the surgeon to access deeper areas of damaged or diseased brain, or a small volume of perfusate (containing small pieces of tissue or aggregated cell clumps) that results from irrigation of the brain during surgery. A matched blood sample will also be collected.
This work will offer the opportunity to build on the knowledge gained from animal models about the activity and function of human brain tissue and cells during the early response to TBI, and to investigate the efficacy of potential therapeutics. Data produced from this study will help to inform the design of early phase clinical trials.
REC name
Wales REC 1
REC reference
20/WA/0327
Date of REC Opinion
11 Jan 2021
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion