The Healthy Human Global Project - Hong Kong (HHGP-Hong Kong)

October 3, 2023 updated by: Centre for Immunology & Infection

The Healthy Human Global Project - Hong Kong: A Community-based Cross-sectional Study on Genetic and Environmental Determinants of Immune Phenotype Variance in a Healthy Asian Population - Establishing a Path Towards Personalized Medicine

The Healthy Human Global Project-Hong Kong aims to elucidate the heritable and non-heritable factors that drive immunological variance within a healthy population in Hong Kong. By gaining a deeper understanding of these parameters, a path can be paved for personalised and precision medicine, tailored for an Asian population.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

The Healthy Human Global Project-Hong Kong (HHGP-Hong Kong) is built upon the Milieu Intérieur Consortium, a population-based study coordinated by the Institut Pasteur in Paris since 2011 (ClinicalTrials.gov study numbers NCT01699893 and NCT03905993). The Milieu Intérieur comprised of 1,000 healthy participants that are unrelated, and of Western European ancestry, to investigate inter-individual immunological variances by integrating intrinsic, environmental and genetic factors in innate immunity and adaptive immunity. Through the quantification of white blood cells by utilising standardised flow cytometry and correlating with sociodemographic variables, the Institut Pasteur team found that smoking, age, sex, and latent infection with cytomegalovirus, were the main non-genetic factors that affected variation in parameters of human immune cells.

The HHGP-Hong Kong will, therefore, replicate and adapt from the study design of Milieu Intérieur recruiting 1,000 healthy participants, drawn from the FAMILY Cohort, to better understand the immunological variance within the Hong Kong population. This Cohort was part of a prospective population-based study in 2007, consisting of 46,001 participants in Hong Kong. It was the first large-scale programme to understand the determinants of physical, mental, and social wellbeing in Hong Kong.

A technological platform will be developed to provide a personalized patient management strategy that takes into account individual genetics, previous infection history, resident microbiota, as well as personal lifestyle and environmental factors to define immune health.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

1026

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

  • China
      • Hong Kong, China
        • HKU Centre for Immunology & Infection Research Clinic

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

20 years to 79 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

The HHGP- Hong Kong will recruit 1,000 healthy participants, drawn from the FAMILY Cohort, its affiliates, or Hong Kong residents, to better understand the immunological variance within the Hong Kong population. This Cohort was part of a prospective population-based study in 2007, consisting of 46,001 participants in Hong Kong. It was the first large-scale programme to understand the determinants of physical, mental, and social wellbeing in Hong Kong. The Cohort has an excellent (99.8%) coverage of the neighbourhoods in Hong Kong and represents roughly 1% of all households, which enables detailed studies linking the social environment to physical and mental health.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. Subjects considered as healthy by the investigator based on medical history, clinical examination, laboratory results and ECG (blood sampling for laboratory assessments and ECG should be done at V0 and only after signed informed consent)
  2. Subjects who, according to the investigator, can and will comply with the requirements of the protocol and are available for all scheduled visits at the investigational site.
  3. Healthy male or female aged between 20 and 79 (included) years
  4. Self-declared Han ethnicity for 3 generations
  5. Body mass index (BMI) of ≥ 18.5 and ≤ 27.0 kg/m²
  6. Ability to give their informed consent in writing
  7. Must understand spoken Cantonese and written Chinese
  8. Current participants enrolled in the FAMILY Cohort or their affiliates (i.e. any individuals referred by a FAMILY Cohort participant), or Hong Kong residents.

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Participation in the last 3 months or concurrent participation in another clinical study in which the subject has been exposed to a medical intervention including but not limited to pharmaceutical product or placebo or medical device
  2. First-degree relative to previously recruited individuals in the study cohort

  3. For women: pregnant or breastfeeding or intending to become pregnant or peri-menopausal

    3.1 Peri-menopausal women as defined by menstrual irregularity: either a change in the menstrual cycle length of more than seven days (early perimenopause) or two or more missed periods with an interval of 60 days or more between periods (late perimenopause)

  4. Any physical exercise within the last 4 hours before inclusion (V1)
  5. Subjects following a special diet for medical reasons as prescribed by a general practitioner or dietician (e.g. calorie-restricted or weight-loss diet for significant overweight, cholesterol-lowering diet or subjects suffering from any clinically diagnosed food allergy or intolerance)
  6. Binge drinking (drinking at least 5 cans of beer, 5 glasses of table wines or 5 pegs of spirits on a single occasion), >2 episodes within 3 months before inclusion
  7. Illicit drug use or substance abuse within 3 months before inclusion
  8. Presence of evidence of neurological or psychiatric diagnoses which, although stable, are deemed by the investigator to render the potential subject unable/unlikely to participate in the study satisfactorily.

  9. Severe/chronic/recurrent pathological conditions, among them:

    9.1. Past or present diagnosed cancer, lymphoma, leukaemia

    9.2. Personal history of organ transplant

    9.3. Congenital or acquired immune deficiency (any confirmed or suspected immunosuppressive or immunodeficient condition, including a history of HIV infection)

    9.4. Personal history of auto-immune diseases requiring or having previously required treatment (e.g. Rheumatoid Arthritis, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Sarcoidosis, Ankylosing Spondylitis, Autoimmune Haemolytic Anaemia, Autoimmune Thrombocytopenic Purpura, Crohn's Disease, Psoriasis, Scleroderma, Wegener's Granulomatosis, Type I Diabetes, Thyroiditis etc.)

    9.5. Splenectomy

    9.6. Acute or chronic, clinically significant, as determined by the investigator, pulmonary, cardiovascular, hepatic or renal functional abnormality, as determined by physical examination or laboratory screening tests

    9.7. History of clinically significant, as determined by the investigator, neurological disorder of seizures

    9.8. Infectious diseases

    9.8.1. Chronic/ latent infection (e.g. HIV, hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus, HTLV, except herpes viruses such as CMV and VZV) or current acute infection or past acute infection based on investigator's judgment within the last 3 months,

    9.8.2. Presence of a rectal temperature ≥38.4°C, or axillary temperature ≥37.5°C, or intra-auricular temperature ≥38.4 °C, or buccal temperature ≥38°C on the scheduled date of inclusion,

    9.8.3. Subject receiving (currently or in the last 3 months) antibiotics, intestinal, nasal or respiratory antiseptics.

    9.9. Severe High Blood Pressure, defined as systolic BP≥160 mmHg and/or diastolic BP≥100 mmHg (2020 International Society of Hypertension Global Hypertension Practice Guidelines, grade 2 hypertension). Treated and controlled high blood pressure or documented white coat hypertension is allowed.

    9.10. Type II diabetes mellitus requiring treatment with any medication. Diabetes mellitus treated by exercise and diet control only is permitted.

    9.11. Chronic renal impairment as defined by Renal Insufficiency: glomerular filtration rate (GFR) <60 mL/min/1.73 m²16

    9.12. Chronic bone disease as treated by bisphosphonates

    9.13. Any significant disorder of coagulation or treatment with direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) or warfarin derivatives or heparin or antiplatelet medications within 2 months preceding inclusion.

    9.14. Dermatologic conditions: any current dermatological disorder that is severe enough to prevent skin biopsy (e.g. eczema, psoriasis, acute or chronic dermatitis)

    9.15. Severe acute and chronic allergy

    9.15.1. Severe Asthma defined as asthma that is uncontrolled despite adherence with optimized high dose inhaled corticosteroid- long-acting beta2-agonist (ICS-LABA) therapy and treatment of contributory factors, or that worsens when high dose treatment is decreased,

    9.15.2. Severe food allergy, as defined by a history of giant urticaria, Quincke oedema or anaphylactic shock,

    9.15.3. Severe insect bite allergy with a history of giant urticaria, Quincke oedema or anaphylactic shock,

    9.15.4. Atopic dermatitis treated with medication.

  10. Chronic administration (defined as more than 14 days) of immunosuppressants or other immune-modifying drugs within the 6 months before the inclusion. For corticosteroids, this will mean a dose equivalent to 20 mg/day of prednisone or equivalent for > 2 weeks (inhaled and topical steroids allowed)
  11. Chronic administration of NSAIDs, including aspirin: prolonged intake (> 2 weeks) within 6 months before the study or any intake [exception for low dose aspirin: maximum 250mg/daily]
  12. Receipt of any vaccination 6 weeks before the inclusion or planning to receive any vaccination during the study
  13. Receipt of blood products or immunoglobulins within 3 months before the inclusion or planning to receive blood products or immunoglobulins during the study
  14. Haemoglobin measurement less than 10.0 g/dL for women and less than 11.5 g/dL for men
  15. Platelet count less than 120.000/mm3
  16. Alanine aminotransferase (ALAT) and/or aspartate transaminase (ASAT) > 3 times the upper limit of the norm (ULN)

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
FAMILY Cohort
This Cohort was part of a prospective population-based study in 2007, consisting of 46,001 participants in Hong Kong. It was the first large-scale programme to understand the determinants of physical, mental, and social wellbeing in Hong Kong. The Cohort has an excellent (99.8%) coverage of the neighbourhoods in Hong Kong and represents roughly 1% of all households, which enables detailed studies linking the social environment to physical and mental health.
Other: No intervention
No intervention

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Factors underlying immunological variance within the general healthy population
Time Frame: Through study completion, an average of 1 year
To identify factors (genetic, immunology and environmental) that contributes to the observed heterogeneity in immune responses (individual and population levels)
Through study completion, an average of 1 year
Naturally occurring variability of human response
Time Frame: Through study completion, an average of 1 year
To characterise the naturally occurring variability of human response using whole genome sequencing and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) haplotyping
Through study completion, an average of 1 year
Stimulated cytokine/chemokine measurement
Time Frame: Through study completion, an average of 1 year
To determine and measure cytokine/chemokine stimulated by 16 pattern-recognition receptors agonists (PRR agonists) or immune stimulators
Through study completion, an average of 1 year
Characterisation of commensal airway and gut microbiota
Time Frame: Through study completion, an average of 1 year
To characterise commensal microbiota (nasopharyngeal swab and stool samples) in the study population
Through study completion, an average of 1 year
Metagenomic architecture of faecal and nasal samples
Time Frame: Through study completion, an average of 1 year
To evaluate the metagenomic architecture of the population based on sequence analysis of bacterial, fungal and viral populations in faecal and nasal samples
Through study completion, an average of 1 year
Immune response and nutrition association
Time Frame: Through study completion, an average of 1 year
To associate immune response with nutrition data
Through study completion, an average of 1 year
Immune phenotype variance association with genetic polymorphisms and enterotype
Time Frame: Through study completion, an average of 1 year
To associate immune phenotype variance with genetic polymorphisms and enterotype
Through study completion, an average of 1 year
Heart rate variability with clinical and epidemiological data association
Time Frame: Through study completion, an average of 1 year
To associate heart rate variability with clinical and epidemiological data
Through study completion, an average of 1 year
Inflammation with physical and mental health outcome association
Time Frame: Through study completion, an average of 1 year
To associate inflammation with physical and mental health outcomes
Through study completion, an average of 1 year

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Genotype-to-phenotype associations at a mechanistic level
Time Frame: Through study completion, an average of 1 year
To determine genotype-to-phenotype associations at a mechanistic level
Through study completion, an average of 1 year
Retrospective and prospective clinical and epidemiological data correlation with FAMILY Cohort
Time Frame: Through study completion, an average of 1 year
To correlate retrospective and prospective clinical data with and epidemiological data from the FAMILY Cohort
Through study completion, an average of 1 year
Immune variation comparison between healthy European (Milieu Intérieur) and Asian (HHGP- Hong Kong) populations
Time Frame: Through study completion, an average of 1 year
To compare immune variation between healthy European (Milieu Intérieur) and Asian (HHGP- Hong Kong) populations
Through study completion, an average of 1 year

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Centre for Immunology & Infection

Collaborators

The University of Hong Kong
Institut Pasteur

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: James Di Santo, Centre for Immunology & Infection
  • Principal Investigator: Darragh Duffy, Centre for Immunology & Infection
  • Principal Investigator: Michael Ni, The University of Hong Kong

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

Helpful Links

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)

July 1, 2022

Primary Completion (Actual)

September 14, 2023

Study Completion (Actual)

September 14, 2023

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

December 1, 2021

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

December 14, 2021

First Posted (Actual)

January 3, 2022

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

October 4, 2023

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

October 3, 2023

Last Verified

October 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Other Study ID Numbers

  • UW21-549
  • HKUCTR-2959 (Registry Identifier: HKU Clinical Trials Registry)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

IPD Plan Description

All personal information obtained in the research project will remain strictly confidential and will not be disclosed to or seen by any person other than the authorised researchers involved. All information obtained about the participants will be stored in a locked cabinet in a security-accessible area, and also in a password-protected database at The School of Public Health, The University of Hong Kong. All personal data will be anonymised for data analysis. Data and information may be inspected by regulatory authorities of academic research, such as the Institutional Review Board of the University of Hong Kong / Hospital Authority Hong Kong West Cluster, with the accompany of research staff. Any data and sample access request from local/international researchers or collaborators must comply with regulations as elaborated by international bodies/agreements including Declaration of Helsinki.

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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