Infection Clinical Research

Our team supports research in Infectious Diseases involving patients and healthy volunteers at University College London and NHS Trusts in North Central and East London.

We support Principle Investigators to obtain regulatory approvals and support research governance processes, undertake participant recruitment, and the collection of biological samples or clinical data.

ICRH fully engages with the sustainable goals of the United Nations to improve patient care / outcomes on a global scale.

Our portfolio

Details of current studies being carried out by the ICRH.

BioAid 2019-2024

The Bioresource for Adult Infectious Diseases (BioAID) is a collaborative project between multiple NHS Hospitals in partnership with closely affiliated UK Universities. BioAID aims to collect bioological samples and clinical information from 10,000 episodes in which patients present to hospital with a suspected infectious disease. Participants will be asked to give consent to have their samples and clinical information collected within BioAID. The samples will be used to obtain RNA and serum from blood samples at various time points during the illness. In addition, the samples will be used to obtain the participants’ genetic code and the microbial organism responsible for the illness where possible.

The samples and clinical information collected within BioAID will be held within participating sites. Access to these collections will be provided to research investigators under the terms of material and data sharing agreements. Identifiable patient information will not be disclosed.

Further information

Human Immune Response Variant in Tuberculosis (HIRV TB)

Human Immune Response Variation in Tuberculosis - HIRV TB, is looking into how and why immune responses to tuberculosis differ between people and to evaluate a new blood test that may be able to identify TB disease before people develop the disease. This study is a collaborative project between UCL and several London NHS trusts. HIRV TB aims to recruit 1000 patients over four years, who have been referred to TB clinic from GP, Occupational Health, Contact tracing or migrant screening. Participants will be asked to consent to have Tst skin test, blood samples, skin samples and clinical information collected within HIRV TB.

• Samples will be used to measure immune responses to relevant TB and how differences in these responses are related to differences in the genetic (DNA) code.
• Part of this study is to evaluate the use of TB biomarkers which measures the levels of specific genes, which are known to change before people become unwell with TB.
• Access to these collections will be provided to research investigators under the terms of material and data sharing agreements. Identifiable patient information will not be disclosed.

Further information

Respiratory Virus Hospitalisation Study (Flu003 Plus)

This international observational study aims to characterise adults who are hospitalised with influenza or other targeted respiratory viruses. The study is funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institutes of Health (NIH) and is being carried out by the International Network for Strategic Initiatives in Global HIV trials. The study is a collaboration with four International Coordinating Centers (ICCs) of the INSIGHT network:

• Copenhagen HIV Programme (CHIP) - Copenhagen, Denmark
• Medical Research Council (MRC) Clinical Trials Unit at University College London (UCL)
• The Kirby Institute, University of New South Wales - Sydney, Australia
• The Institute for Clinical Research at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center - Washington DC, USA.

It is important to better understand the characteristics of people with influenza who do not do well. The results of this study will be used to advise on the management of patients who are hospitalised with the flu or other viral respiratory infections. Patient involvement involves Nasopharyngeal and throat swabs of flu positive patients.

Investigating patterns of influenza evolution in immunosuppressed patients (E3i)

This study aims to better understand these infections and optimise care of patients, potentially optimising approaches to drug therapies, shortening the duration of infection and reducing the cost of care. Participating sites include UCLH, Great Ormond Street Hospital, Addenbrookes Hospital and Barts Health. Patient involvement includes naspharyngeal and throat swabs at time points: baseline and every three to four days up to 10 samples if still in-patient. Patient involvement also includes optional bloods.

Lateral flow assay (LFA) and reader for malaria detection

• Extensive training of technicians on recognising malaria parasites on slides, where experts are not widely available, and the problem of some individuals who have malaria in blood too low to detect on slides
• This training aims to use ultra-sensitive malaria detecting LFA to find out if they are sensitive enough to the task
• Presently only at UCLH
• Study participation involves blood sampling at timepoints one, two, and three months.

Feasibility of a serological assay for malaria elimination

This study aimes to test a number of diagnostic methods to see if they can reliably detect whether a person has previously been exposed to malaria and whether these methods can accurately show when a person is completely free from malaria. We aim to find out whether any of the testing methods might be suitable for use in areas where transmission levels of malaria are low, or where a country is trying to certify absence of the disease.

• Presently recruiting at UCLH.
• Eligible patients will be asked to come in at time points 1, 6, 12, 18 and 24 months for blood sampling.

Identification and validation of the determinants of variation in T cell immunity (TCV-BCG) tuning

This research aims to increase our understanding of why different individuals respond differently to the BCG vaccine. This will provide opportunities to develop new TB vaccines.

• Recruiting via UCL Occupational Health Service
• Participation involves: Blood tests and BCG vaccine.

Tuning the immune response in tuberculosis

This study aims to increase our understanding of the parts of the immune system that influence the balance of beneficial and harmful responses to TB infection by studying immune responses of various individuals who have a broad range of severity of TB disease. This will provide opportunities to develop new and more effective treatments and vaccines

• Currently recruiting at Whittington and Royal Free Hospitals
• Patient involvement includes tuberculin skin test (tst), blood and skin samples.

Past studies

• Adjunctive Rifampicin to reduce early mortality from Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia (ARREST)     
• CoDify     
• ARISE Vitamin D     
• ARISE Losmapimod     
• Characterisation of Mucosally Transmitted HIV-1 Founder Viruses     
• ENCEPH-UK cohort studies     
• Fever @ The Front Door pilot study     
• FLU-IVIG (intravenous immunoglobulin)     
• Gut Bacteria in Travellers (GUTBACK)     
• Are polymorphisms associated with HSV and VZV encephalitis     
• Peripheral blood transcriptional profiling in HIV     
• The pathogenesis and immune responses to Varicella Zoster Virus in Herpes Zoster study     
• Infectious diseases in Europe and Africa - IDEA study     
• Latent Tuberculosis: Evaluating the transcriptomic response to treatment     
• Accurate monitoring of Malarial DNA titres in patients post treatment     
• Defining protective immunity to human tuberculosis     
• Reversing the effects of ageing in the cutaneous immune system     
• Leprosy study     
• HIV-1 viral reservoir following chemotherapy     
• HIV-TST study     
• Comprehensive assessment of host and viral factors associated with HIV-1 elite control     
• Malaria DNA - Accurate monitoring of malarial DNA titres in patients post treatment     
• Protective immunity to tuberculosis extrapolated from challenge by TST (Protect TB)     
• Strong Treat 1 to 4     
• Multifunctional Integrated Microsystem for Rapid Point-of-Care TB Identification (TB MIMIC)