Fibre Specific Signalling in the Locomotor Myopathy of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Fibre Specific Signalling in the Locomotor Myopathy of COPD

Skeletal muscle is composed of two fibre types which are intertwined. Skeletal muscle weakness, particularly of the walking muscles, is an important complication of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) but so far the investigators do not know what mechanisms drive the process.

All existing studies have investigated signalling pathways in the whole muscle so they have been forced to consider type I and type II fibres together. It is possible that disease selectively affects one fibre type, most likely type I fibres which are in fact lost in COPD patients. For this reason mechanisms of disease may have been overlooked by current studies.

The applicants have acquired the technology which allows type I and type II fibres in a muscle specimen to be split (by laser capture microdissection) and so signalling pathways can be assessed separately in type II and type I fibres which is what this proposal sets out to do.

The proposal therefore aims to capture well characterised clinical data from 60 COPD patients and 20 age matched controls, from whom a biopsy of the main walking muscle, the quadriceps, will be taken. In the samples the investigators will assess at a fibre specific level inflammatory signalling. Surplus material will be retained for subsequent fibre specific analysis.

Study Overview

• Status: Unknown
• Conditions: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Anticipated): 80

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United Kingdom
  • UK
    • London, UK, United Kingdom, SE8 4DY
      • Recruiting
      • Royal Brompton Hospital
      • Contact: Michael I Polkey, PhD FRCP; Phone Number: +44 20 7351 8058; Email: m.polkey@rbht.nhs.uk
      • Principal Investigator: Michael I Polkey, PhD FRCP

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 40 years to 90 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Patients with COPD

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Male or female aged 40 - 90 years inclusive.
• A clinical diagnosis of COPD based on spirometry (FEV1/FVC ratio < 70% on entry to the study with FEV1 < 80% predicted)

Exclusion Criteria:

• History or current diagnosis of alpha 1-anti-trypsin deficiency, asthma, lung cancer, bronchiectasis or other significant respiratory disease (including treated TB in the past 10 years)
• Contraindication to biopsy for research purpose (e.g. use of anticoagulant in the 1 week prior to biopsy)
• Joint or neurological disease which on its own would preclude exercise

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Number of groups / cohorts

1

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Patients with COPD

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
inflammatory signalling at a fibre specific level	2 years

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Foundation Trust
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Michael I Polkey, PhD FRCP, RBHFT

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Buttery SC, Mohan D, Fisk M, Hopkinson NS, Tal-Singer R, Wilkinson IB, Polkey MI. Longitudinal follow-up of quadriceps strength and function in a COPD cohort after 3 years. Eur Respir J. 2017 Aug 10;50(2):1700707. doi: 10.1183/13993003.00707-2017. Print 2017 Aug. No abstract available.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: December 1, 2011
• Primary Completion (Anticipated): October 1, 2013
• Study Completion (Anticipated): October 1, 2013

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: November 10, 2011
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 14, 2011
• First Posted (Estimate): November 16, 2011

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): December 2, 2011
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 1, 2011
• Last Verified: December 1, 2011

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Respiratory Tract Diseases; Lung Diseases; Lung Diseases, Obstructive; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive
• Other Study ID Numbers: ERICA WP1b