School of Infection & Immunity

We work with a range of charity partners from across the IMID landscape generally and as part of the Immune-Mediated Disease Biobanks in the UK  (IMID-Bio-UK) initiative. IMID-Bio-UK is aligned with the strategic aims of our charity partners that broadly seek to impact patient outcomes via collaborative disease focussed discovery and translational research.  This will guide our development going forward  by helping to engage with the wider public and those affected by inflammatory mediated immune diseases.  

Versus Arthritis invests in breakthrough treatments, the best information and vital support for everyone affected by arthritis. They believe that by harnessing the power of exceptional science, it is possible to overcome the pain, isolation and fatigue arthritis causes, making everyday life better for all people with arthritis in the UK.

The Psoriasis Association are the leading national charity and membership organisation for people affected by psoriasis in the UK. Through their work, they help people whose lives are affected by psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis by funding research, providing information and raising awareness.  

National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society is the only patient-led organisationin the UK specialising in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). Due to its targeted focus on RA and JIA, NRAS provides truly expert and wide-ranging services to support, educate and campaign for people living with these complex autoimmune conditions, their families and the health professionals who treat them.

A medical research study that involves people is called a clinical trial.  

Clinical trials are used to:

Each stage of the trial is known as a "phase". There are four phases of clinical trial that take place one after the other, but only if the previous phase is successful. Trial participants may, or may not, be unwell.  Healthy people are important in clinical trials because they help researchers understand the differences between heathy people and those that are affected by disease.  Its important to recognise that trials will not necessarily be beneficial for those involved. 

Phase I trials check the safety of a new therapy and take place after laboratory testing has shown that a new treatment, or changing the way existing treatments are given, may be more effective when treating disease.

People in these trials are normally healthy but will often include patients that have advanced disease and may or may not benefit from the trial. 

Phase I trials:

Phase II trials take place after a successful Phase I trial, and are carried out in order to understand how well the treatment works. 

Sometimes Phase II trials are split into two trials known as Phase IIA and Phase IIB.

In general all Phase II trials are very similar to Phase I but:

Phase III trials are carried out in order to confirm that the findings of the previous phases are still true in an even larger patient population.

Generally they:

Phase IV trials test long-term safety in a diverse patient population. These trials take place once a treatment has passed all the previous phases and the treatment is available on prescription. Some people that have not been tested in Phases 1- 3 may show adverse reactions during a phase IV trial. Not all treatments will go into a Phase IV trial.

Clinical trials are used to understand if a particular treatment is better than another but may not benefit the participant directly.

This means that your treatment and progress could be monitored more closely than when you undertake standard therapies. Once the trial has finished, it might be possible for your doctor to offer you more appropriate and effective treatment.

Clinical trials are essential for the development of new and better treatments. They may help you get more information for your future treatments. You will be helping the NHS learn what the best possible standard of care is and how that care should be given in future.

There can be some disadvantages to taking part in a clinical trial. This is because no one can be 100% sure what the outcome will be for you.

This could be because the treatment is not as effective as hoped when compared to standard treatment.

You may develop unexpected side effects.

You may have to have more tests or visits to the clinic than you would if you were receiving the standard treatment for your disease.

The patient information sheet related to each clinical trial will explain any disadvantages that are known about in advance of the study.

When deciding whether to participate in a clinical trial or not, there are a number of questions you may wish to ask so that you understand what impact the trial may or may not have on you. 

There are also some much more practical questions to think about too, such as: