Telomere Length in Healthy Controls
Conditions
Keywords
Telomere length, Longitudinal observation
Brief summary
The Investigators have established a cohort of patients with recent-onset inflammatory arthritis called Early Undifferentiated PolyArthritis (EUPA). This cohort was established to define novel biomarkers of poor outcomes. We want to study telomere length and T-cell Receptor Excision Circles (TREC) numbers in peripheral blood as new biomarkers. This cohort of normal controls was established to be able to define the stability over short periods of time of telomere length and TREC numbers in normal individuals, in order to compare with arthritis patients.
Detailed description
It is difficult to establish early on the prognosis of patients with recent-onset polyarthritis. We want to know if we can use the length of telomeres in peripheral blood cells at baseline as a novel prognostic marker. In order to be able to interpret our observations in arthritis patients over time, we need to compare these results with those observed in normal human controls adjusted for gender and for age groups. These patients are first screened for the presence of acute or chronic severe diseases (cancer, cardiovascular, articular, et...). They then have genomic DNA extracted from peripheral blood at Baseline and at 3 months interval for a year than annually for a total duration of 5 years. A complete blood count is collected at each blood draw. At each blood draw, the appearance of acute or chronic diseases is noted.
Interventions
OTHERControl
No intervention as this group is simply followed prospectively.
Sponsors
Janssen, LP
Université de Sherbrooke
Study design
Observational model
COHORT
Time perspective
PROSPECTIVE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 85 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
Healthy-for-age subjects, as defined by Absence of acute infectious, traumatic or immunologic disease; Absence of severe chronic diseases Age and sex concordant with the stratification of patients from a longitudinal cohort of early inflammatory arthritis (EUPA)
Exclusion criteria
History of cancer (except a single episode of non-melanocytic skin cancer) Severe cardiovascular disease (i.e. difficult to control or requiring multiple drugs) Chronic infection Inflammatory arthritis Severe high blood pressure or diabetes (i.e. difficult to control or requiring multiple drugs) Any severe disease affecting function or difficult to control or requiring multiple drugs
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Estimation of variability of multiple measures of the length of telomeres over one year | Over one year | Blood draws to collect genomic DNA both from total peripheral blood cells and from peripheral blood mononuclear cells are done at 0, 3, 6, 9 and 12 months (along with a complete blood count). At each time, patients are assessed for severe acute and chronic diseases |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| TREC numbers in peripheral blood over time | At 3, 6, 9, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48 and 60 months | Blood draws at these time points. T cell Excision Circles are measured from genomic DNA at the same time as is telomere length |
| Estimation of the variability of the measure of length of telomeres with multiple measures over 5 years | 5 years | From the end of the first year, patients will be followed yearly with an assessment of the occurence of new severe acute and chronic diseases and a blood draw to collect genomic DNA isolated from total blood cells and from isolated blood mononuclear cells, along with a complete blood count to assess lymphocyte numbers. |
Countries
Canada
Outcome results
None listed