Genetic Study of Immunodeficiency: Search for New Genetic Causes for Primary Immunodeficiencies (GSI)

May 11, 2026 updated by: University Children's Hospital, Zurich
Individuals with suspected primary immunodeficiency will be studied and the results compared with healthy controls. Primary immunodeficiency may manifest as recurrent, severe or unusual infections as well as signs and symptoms of immune dysregulation such as autoimmunity or lymphoproliferation.

Study Overview

Status

Recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Patients with a suspected immunodeficiency will be identified and invited to participate. Upon agreement, an additional blood sample will be collected when they have their routine bloods taken. If the study participants undergoes anaesthesia for any other reason, a small skin biopsy will be taken as well. Additional samples including blood samples or mouth swabs will be taken from healthy family members. Blood from healthy controls will only be taken when there is a clinical need for blood sampling (or when the study participant is already anaesthetised for any other reason) and not for research purposes only.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

500

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Locations

  • Switzerland
    • Canton of Zurich
      • Zurich, Canton of Zurich, Switzerland, 8008
        • Recruiting
        • Division of Immunology
        • Contact:

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child
  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

The study population consists of pediatric patients (inpatients and outpatients) and individuals referred for immunological evaluation at the University Children's Hospital Zurich from national and international centers. To facilitate comparative analysis, the population also includes healthy biological relatives of these patients and healthy volunteers recruited from the Zurich area and across Switzerland.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Patients: Pediatric patients (in/outpatient or referred) with suspected or confirmed Inborn Errors of Immunity.
  • Relatives: Healthy or affected biological relatives of enrolled patients.
  • Controls: Healthy volunteers with no history of chronic immunological, inflammatory, or infectious disease.
  • Consent: Ability to provide signed informed consent (or guardian consent).

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Intervention / Treatment
Patients with suspected PID
From included patients with suspected primary immunodeficiency (PID), i.e. patients with recurrent/unusual infection, immune dysregulation and/or susceptibility to malignancies from whom consent to participate was obtained, nucleated blood cells and/or fibroblasts from skin biopsy will be used for genetic testing and functional assays. Blood serum will be used for antibody and cytokine measurement.
Procedure: Skin Biopsy
A punch biopsy of the skin and underlying connective tissue is performed to establish fibroblast cultures. For pediatric patients, the procedure is conducted while the patient is under general anesthesia for other clinical indications. For adult patients, the biopsy is performed under local anesthesia as needed. This intervention follows cosmetic/aesthetic considerations and is therefore typically collected from the inner aspect of the upper arm.
Procedure: Mouth Swab or Saliva Collection
Non-invasive collection of epithelial cells via a swab of the buccal mucosa (inner cheek) to obtain biological material for comparative genetic analysis with minimal burden.
Procedure: Blood Sampling
Collection of nucleated blood cells, serum, and plasma from blood and subsequent genetic testing, functional assays, as well as antibody and cytokine measurements. To minimize risk and burden, blood sampling in pediatric patients is opportunistic (performed during routine clinical diagnostics or while under anesthesia) and capped at 1% of total blood volume per sampling and 3% over a 4-week period (adjusted by body weight). In adult patients, up to 50mL venous blood is sampled, typically performed during clinic visits or routine check-ups.
Healthy Relatives of Patients with PID
From healthy relatives of patients with suspected PID from whom consent to participate was obtained, nucleated cells will be used for genetic testing in order to compare their genetic information with the one form their relatives with suspected PID.
Procedure: Mouth Swab or Saliva Collection
Non-invasive collection of epithelial cells via a swab of the buccal mucosa (inner cheek) to obtain biological material for comparative genetic analysis with minimal burden.
Procedure: Blood Sampling
Collection of nucleated blood cells, serum, and plasma from blood and subsequent genetic testing, functional assays, as well as antibody and cytokine measurements. To minimize risk and burden, blood sampling in pediatric patients is opportunistic (performed during routine clinical diagnostics or while under anesthesia) and capped at 1% of total blood volume per sampling and 3% over a 4-week period (adjusted by body weight). In adult patients, up to 50mL venous blood is sampled, typically performed during clinic visits or routine check-ups.
Healthy Volunteers
From healthy volunteers from whom consent to participate was obtained, nucleated blood cells will be used for genetic testing and functional assays. Blood serum will be used for antibody and cytokine measurement. The data obtained will be compared to age matched patients with suspected PID.
Procedure: Mouth Swab or Saliva Collection
Non-invasive collection of epithelial cells via a swab of the buccal mucosa (inner cheek) to obtain biological material for comparative genetic analysis with minimal burden.
Procedure: Blood Sampling
Collection of nucleated blood cells, serum, and plasma from blood and subsequent genetic testing, functional assays, as well as antibody and cytokine measurements. To minimize risk and burden, blood sampling in pediatric patients is opportunistic (performed during routine clinical diagnostics or while under anesthesia) and capped at 1% of total blood volume per sampling and 3% over a 4-week period (adjusted by body weight). In adult patients, up to 50mL venous blood is sampled, typically performed during clinic visits or routine check-ups.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Number of patients with suspected PID for whom a genetic cause has been identified
Time Frame: Through study completion, an average of 3 years
Number of patients with suspected primary immunodeficiency included in the study for whom a diagnosis can be made with the genetic and functional data obtained from patients, their relatives and healthy volunteers.
Through study completion, an average of 3 years

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

University Children's Hospital, Zurich

Collaborators

University Hospital, Geneva
University Children's Hospital Basel

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Jana M Pachlopnik Schmid, MD PhD, University Children's Hospital, Zurich

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

February 1, 2016

Primary Completion (Estimated)

July 1, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

December 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

March 10, 2016

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 7, 2016

First Posted (Estimated)

April 13, 2016

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

May 14, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 11, 2026

Last Verified

May 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • GSI KEK_2015-0555

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

planned publication in peer reviewed journals (PubMed)

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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