Proteomics of Silent Cerebral Infarction in SCA (PoSCIS)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The use of proteomics to develop novel plasma biomarkers to identify silent cerebral infarcts in children with sickle cell anaemia.
IRAS ID
125506
Contact name
David Rees
Contact email
Research summary
Children with sickle cell anaemia are at increased risk of developing strokes. These strokes may be small (silent cerebral infarcts) and not initially obvious; however, they are associated with increased learning difficulties, fits and further more serious strokes. Currently there is no easy way to detect these silent strokes early, unless an MRI scan is performed, which is difficult in young children and expensive. We aim to develop new blood tests which will be able to identify children at increased risk of these strokes, by analysing a large number of proteins in the blood using a technique called proteomics. We plan to perform this protein analysis on 25 children with sickle cell anaemia and normal brain MRIs and compare the pattern of proteins with 25 children with silent infarcts on their scans. In this way we may be able to identify a blood test to detect these silent strokes.
REC name
London - Camberwell St Giles Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
13/LO/0709
Date of REC Opinion
30 May 2013
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion