Immune-Mediated Inflammatory Disease Biobanks UK Update
Published: 19 April 2018
The Immune-Mediated Inflammatory Disease Biobanks in the UK(IMID-Bio-UK)has been funded by the Medical Research Council (MR/R014191/1) in order to bring together eight immune-mediated inflammatory disease (IMID) cohorts and tissue biobanks from existing clinical trials into one single searchable and analysable dataset available to all bona fide researchers.
The Immune-Mediated Inflammatory Disease Biobanks in the UK (IMID-Bio-UK) has been funded by the Medical Research Council (MR/R014191/1) in order to bring together eight immune-mediated inflammatory disease (IMID) cohorts and tissue biobanks from existing clinical trials into one single searchable and analysable dataset available to all bona fide researchers. Initially, this includes rheumatoid arthritis (RA, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), psoriasis, primary biliary cholangitis (PBC), autoimmune hepatitis (AIH), and primary Sjogren's syndrome disease sets. It is clear that immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs), which are common medical conditions, can cause a great deal of pain, distress, loss of function and, in some cases, early death in those affected by them. Although treatment has been revolutionised for a significant proportion of people with IMIDs through the use of biologic drugs and more informed treatment strategies, some patients will show no response to therapies that work for others or develop resistance to the treatments over time.
A more precise approach that treats the right patient, with the right drug and the right dose and time is essential. This is only possible through in-depth study of large datasets derived from patients affected by IMIDs. By analysing detailed information about individual patients and their samples, researchers can produce a "molecular map" that would allow their clinician to develop a more informed treatment plan which will provide a better outcome for that individual with reduced risks. So far much of the research in IMIDs have focused on one disease at a time, rather than reviewing the data for groups of diseases known to share similar genetic pathways or environmental risks.
IMID-Bio-UK resources will be made available to bona fide researchers to study IMID biology and predict drug response, using molecular markers to define common and unique mechanisms of disease progression and drug action. This will enable wider, safer use of biologics and new medicines across the IMID spectrum. By bringing together IMID samples and comparing data and clinical practice, we will optimise clinical pathways for common IMIDs, and provide much needed insight into biologic use in rarer or poorly characterised IMIDs, ultimately delivering patient benefit and health care savings.
Members of the IMID-Bio-UK network from 15 academic, charity and industry establishments, including both the ESPRC-MRC funded Glasgow and Newcastle Pathology Nodes, met in Glasgow on March 19th to discuss the logistics of the amalgamation and the next steps towards this goal. The group also discussed the broad range of themes and topics and shared hypotheses which will form the core of the research activities of the Network and possible opportunities for the provision of training of the next generation of translational research scientists working at the interface of stratified medicine and bioinformatics.
The key main objective in the first 12-18 months of the project is the harmonisation of Standard Operating Procedures and integration of datasets into the IMID-Bio-UK tranSMART platform which is a mammoth task. A range of working groups have been set up within the Network to begin reviewing the available SOPs and associated paperwork in addition to assessing timelines for data curation and integration. The bioinformatics working group meet monthly and recruitment is underway for a Data Manager to support the project.
First published: 19 April 2018