Responses of human immune cells to bacterial infection
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Studying the transcriptional, genomic and phenotypic responses of human immune cells to bacterial infection
IRAS ID
131518
Contact name
Stephen Nutbeam-Tuffs
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
The University of Edinburgh
Research summary
Bacterial pathogens utilise a number of complex strategies to evade the immune system. The pathways by which our cells respond to stimuli related to bacterial infection are equally complex. We will be using human cells, purified from blood samples to examine the molecular biology underlying these responses. Stimuli will include cytokines, pharmaceuticals and bacterial components as model agents for an infectious insult.
We aim to recruit healthy adult volunteers from the Roslin Institute to donate a sample of blood for study in our laboratory. Volunteers who are able to give informed consent will be added to a donor database and will be selected at random for donation. The participant will be contacted at least 24 hours prior to donation to make sure the participant is available to donate. Blood sampling will take place on site at the Roslin institute and will be carried out by a trained phlebotomist under the supervision of a medical practitioner. There is no further input from the participant, and no results will be fed back to them. The participant will remain on the donor database for the duration of the study unless they withdraw themselves. Data will be annoymised at the point of collection of the sample. Once sampled the blood is then used for study in our laboratory at the University of Edinburgh. In addition necessary additional analysis of the blood samples will be carried out in the laboratories of our academic collaborators elsewhere.
REC name
London - City & East Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
13/LO/1537
Date of REC Opinion
10 Oct 2013
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion