Study of Abnormal Lymphocytes in Schizophrenia
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A Study of Abnormal Lymphocytes in Archived Samples from Patients with Schizophrenia
IRAS ID
316852
Contact name
Jun Wei
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of the Highlands and Islands
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Schizophrenia is a severe form of mental disorder with the causes unknown, although a multifactorial mechanism is likely to be involved in the pathogenesis of the illness, including immunological, neurochemical, neurodevelopmental and genetic components. Normally, the immune system produces antibodies to facilitate an immune response against targets such as bacteria and viruses. In schizophrenia, however, there are increased levels of antibodies which generate responses against proteins from our own body, or against other harmless stimuli including food or gut bacteria. A large study of schizophrenia highlighted changes in genes that may control immune function, particularly in antibody-producing cells, known as B-cells, raising the possibility that there may be problems with antibody responses in schizophrenia. This proposed study will use archived samples from patients with schizophrenia and controls to study autoimmune mechanisms of schizophrenia. The biobanks include plasma, and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) transformed with Epstein-Barr virus into immortalised PBMCs. Plasma samples will be used to test IgG autoantibodies with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) developed in-house whereas the immortalized PBMCs will be used to measure the populations of ‘gut-homing’ lymphocytes in patients with schizophrenia and controls. Furthermore, RNA from cell-lines will be used to examine differences in the expression of B-cell activating factor (BAFF) and it’s receptors between case and control groups. Finally, peptide-presenting HLA-II molecules will be isolated from cell-lines, and the repertoire of peptides presented will be examined. The data generated in this study will be able to identify new immunogenic targets and examine the relationship between cell function and the production of antibodies in schizophrenia. Ultimately, the proposed study will contribute to better understanding of the causes of schizophrenia and lead to the development of tests to identify a subgroup of patients who may respond to personalized therapies that target an altered immune pathway in schizophrenia.
REC name
South Central - Berkshire B Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
22/SC/0250
Date of REC Opinion
16 Aug 2022
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion