08/H0906/95

Newcastle and North Tyneside 1 Research Ethics Committee

University of Newcastle upon Tyne

Newcastle Dermatology Biobank

Newcastle Dermatology Biobank

Dr Penny Lovat
Dermatological Sciences,
Senior Lecturer in Cellular Dermatology and Oncology,
Institute of Cellular Medicine
Newcastle University, 2nd Floor Leech Building,
The Medical School
Framlington Place, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4HH

0191 2227189

p.e.lovat@ncl.ac.uk

Skin biopsies will be obtained from patients with dermatological disease. Most will be taken at the time of presentation, however some may be taken during the course of treatment or after treatment has been completed (eg after Ultraviolet irradiation). Samples will usually be surplus to requirement and will be stored as paraffin blocks and fresh tissue which will be collected and frozen in liquid nitrogen, the samples will therefore be stable.

In patients with a diagnosis of skin cancer, metastatic tissue samples from a wide range of sites other than skin may be collected, these will include lymph nodes, soft tissues, the lungs, liver, brain, bone, adrenal glands, spleen and gastrointestinal tract. Corresponding normal tissue will be collected and stored to use as a control. Where appropriate tissue samples will also be collected at the time of relapse or after treatment. Samples will contain both malignant and normal cells and will again be stored as paraffin blocks or as frozen tissue.

In addition to the above peripheral blood may be obtained from patients, at the time of presentation, during treatment and after treatment has been completed.

Samples will be linked with clinical data such as patient demographics (age, sex, ethnicity), date of presentation and medical information such as diagnosis, treatments given and cancer staging and prognosis. Laboratory data obtained at the time of diagnosis (eg histological report) will also be collected. Finally data related to the the clinical outcome will also be collected (eg response of patient to treatment and where appropriate time to remission or relapse and time to death from disease or other causes). Clinical data will be gathered from health records and will be stored on a University computer. Access to this data will be limited, only 'approved individuals' (Trust employee or an employee holding an honary contract with the Newcastle Foundation NHS trust or an individual who has signed an approved confidentiality agreement) will have access.

Not applicable.

The Dermatology biobank is a University of Newcastle resource located in Dermatological Sciences. It will provide an invaluable resource for research groups investigating the molecular mechanisms involved in skin cancer and skin disease. The Dermatology biobank contains skin biopsy and tissue samples and will continue to collect tissue samples from patients with dermatological diseases, including psoriasis, eczema and skin cancer. These will be used to enable scientific research into the molecular mechanisms involved in skin disease development and response and resistance to treatment. The Dermatology biobank will allow researchers to search for and validate new targets and biomarkers for detection and diagnosis of skin disease and will enable treatment stratification and drug development. Clinical data collected from the patients will allow correlations to be made between research findings and the clinical and laboratory features of the diseases and their response to therapy. This data will be 'linked anonymised' and the results obtained will not influence individual patient management.

The research will be related to a group of dermatological diseases, including skin cancers and inflammatory skin diseases such as psoriasis. Some projects may not be disease specific, for example research into skin barrier function, results will be applicable to understanding skin function and disease.

The research undertaken will be both basic and of a translational nature. Examples of recent and ongoing projects which would be covered by this application (which are currently covered by existing agreements) include:

1. Melanoma

•Cell signalling and molecular biology of melanoma, (apoptotic and autophagic signaling pathways) and development of novel therapeutic strategies
•Defining the role of genetic mutations (including B-RAF) in melanoma conferring resistance to cell death and tumour progression.
•Development of melanoma cell lines to enable investigation of molecular pathways of melanoma.

2. Molecular genetics of non-melanoma skin cancer.

•Molecular genetics of skin cancer; in particular the role of mitochondrial DNA mutations in the development of human non-melanoma skin cancer.
•Endoplasmic Reticulum induced apoptosis in non-melanoma skin cancer

3. Keratinocyte cell signaling and apoptosis

•Keratinocyte cell signaling, particularly in response to environmental insults such as ultraviolet radiation (UVR).
•Regulation of the diverse cellular responses induced by UVR.
•Mechanism of action of anti-psoriatic drugs, which may provide important insights into disease pathogenesis and identify new therapeutic targets.
•Defining molecular mechanisms of apoptosis and the development of novel therapeutic strategies for dermatological diseases, including psoriasis.

4. Cutaneous response to ultraviolet radiation

•Mitochondria and UVR; in particular the novel approach of using mitochondrial DNA, rather than nuclear DNA, as a biomarker of cumulative UVR exposure.
•The cutaneous response to ultraviolet radiation, including signaling mechanisms and the therapeutic use of UVR in skin disease.
•The role of mitochondria in UV-induced oxidative stress.

5. Other
•The role of mitochondrial DNA mutations in the ageing process
•The relationship between oxidative stress, ageing and nutritional status.

All the research undertaken will be related to health care, although results will not directly affect the treatment of individual patients. The research will not involve the testing or safety of cosmetics or other consumer products.

Favourable opinion

not yet received