The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi, and five other medical centres will study 200 families over the next four years to investigate why autoimmune diseases such as lupus, type 1 diabetes and myositis affect multiple members of the same family.
The findings could help researchers identify biological processes common to different autoimmune diseases and potential targets for future treatments, he added. “Finding eligible families is a key challenge, as multiple cases of autoimmune diseases within the same family are relatively uncommon. He added, his team had identified two such families so far from AIIMS New Delhi, against a target of 200.
Titled “Genomic Profiling and Identification of Targetable Shared Immunopathogenic Events in Multiplex Families with Autoimmune Diseases”, the study is led by Dr Dipyaman Ganguly, a faculty member at Ashoka University, which will serve as the coordinating centre. Hence, multiple institutions come together on board to get eligible families,” Dr Ranjan said. The researchers said they are inviting families, who think they are eligible to contact AIIMS and explore participation in the study.
Participating hospitals will facilitate the collection of patient samples, AIIMS experts said at a press briefing on Thursday.
Funded by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the study will examine genetic and immune-system differences between affected family members and their unaffected relatives. Researchers hope to identify shared disease mechanisms that could provide new targets for treatment and biomarkers to help predict disease risk. The participating institutions are AIIMS Delhi, AIIMS Bibinagar, Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences in Lucknow, Kolkata National Medical College, St John’s Medical College in Bengaluru and Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences in Hyderabad. Ashoka University will coordinate the study.
