Understanding ethnicity-associated immunopathogenesis in sarcoidosis
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Understanding ethnicity-associated immunopathogenesis in sarcoidosis
IRAS ID
335492
Contact name
Daniel Pennington
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Queen Mary University of London
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
164707, Sponsor (EDGE) Number
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 11 months, 31 days
Research summary
Sarcoidosis is a relatively common but little-known disease that affects approximately 1 person in every 1000 in Europe. It can cause inflammation and scarring of nearly any organ in the body, that can lead to blindness, brain damage, kidney failure, heart failure and disfiguring skin disease. It most commonly affects the lungs, where it can cause progressive scarring, leading to chronic and disabling breathlessness. In some cases, patients need continuous home oxygen or a lung transplant, and some may die from respiratory failure. Sarcoidosis is the most common condition seen in the lung fibrosis clinic at Bart’s Hospital, with over 300 patients currently followed-up.
Although sarcoidosis was first described in 1877, the cause remains unclear, and
whilst the immune system is clearly involved, recent research indicates it might have
different causes in different patient groups. Black and Asian people are
disproportionately affected, and suffer more severe disease. Historically, patients
from these communities are under-represented in research and thus findings from
studies in predominantly White patient groups, mainly from Scandinavia, may not
apply to them. In this research, we plan to study how the immune system contributes
to, and/or protects, in various types of sarcoidosis and we will look at differences
between ethnic groups. We will use the latest state-of-the-art technologies to examine individual white blood cells from patients’ blood, lymph nodes and lung fluid, to find what type of immune response is dominant. By looking at patients of different ethnicities, in different stages of disease we will assemble a clearer picture of what the immune system is doing in sarcoidosis. We believe this will reveal useful markers to guide which treatment would be best for different patients, and identify possible new targets for future treatments. In this manner, we hope to improve the treatment and outcomes for all sarcoidosis patients.REC name
Wales REC 3
REC reference
24/WA/0166
Date of REC Opinion
13 Jun 2024
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion