REC study No. 22/WS/0147IRAS Project ID: 317135 (2022) 181156 (2017)
Status: Open to recruitment
With a current study duration of 10 years (August 2017-2027) the objective of the EMR RTB is to facilitate ongoing sample and data collection to progress research in patient stratification in rheumatic conditions, biomarker research, imaging, genetics, pathology, and physiology of the musculoskeletal system as well as in the physiology of joint tissues. This includes generic ethical approval for a range of potential prospective research without a need for individual project-based ethical approval.
The research will take place internally within EMR and will also facilitate collaborations with academic and industry partners where tissue and/or data will be released following a formal assessment and approval process. The EMR Biobank will facilitate a broad program of research to further the understanding of the physiology and pathology of joint tissues for the development of new treatments and develop strategies and methods to identify disease pathotypes through less invasive methods with the potential for a stratified medicine approach.
The tissues donated to the EMR RTB may include: synovial tissue, cartilage, bone, whole blood and isolated blood cell subsets, urine, synovial fluid, DNA, RNA, saliva, skin, and hair. Salivary glands samples (surplus from diagnostic labial or major SG biopsies) tonsil/lymph node/spleen biopsy/tissue, kidney biopsies and other solid tissue related to disease, or surplus tissue from intervention and/or diagnostic procedures e.g., tonsils (tonsillectomy) bone marrow, peripheral nerves, and brain biopsies. Samples from healthy donors can also be donated to the EMR RTB.
Since starting recruitment in August 2017, biological samples have been collected/bio-banked (and utilised for research) from 433 recruited patients and 254 healthy donors (up to 17th July 2023). Sample types collected and bio-banked include plasma, DNA, RNA, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), and cell-free synovial fluid.
Supported by NIHR Barts Biomedical Research Centre