Clinical Research Directory

Natural History of Type 1 Interferonopathies: Insights From a European Cohort

Type I interferonopathies are rare autoinflammatory disorders caused by genetic defects and associated with significant morbidity and mortality. These diseases are refractory to conventional immunosuppressive therapies. They typically occur in childhood, although disease onset in adulthood has been observed. The clinical spectrum is wide and mainly involves the central nervous system. Joint involvement is also common, and more rarely, haematological features such as cytopenias or immunodeficiency may be observed. Nearly all patients show consistent over-activation of the type I IFN pathway, as evidenced, the expression of IFN-stimulated genes, the so-called 'interferon signature'. To date, the natural history of interferonopathies remains unclear. In this context, the establishment of a natural history of type I interferonopathy in patients is proposed to elucidate the pathophysiological mechanisms and identify biomarkers for diagnosis, prognosis, and disease activity, with the aim of better characterising the diversity of interferonopathies. The main objective is to characterise the evolution of the pathology in paediatric and adult patients with type I interferonopathies. The overall aim of this research is to propose therapeutic options tailored to patient phenotypes and to better define patient sub-groups in order to optimise the preparation of future clinical trials.

Genotype-phenotype Characterization Study on Genetic Diseases With Immune and Neurological Dysfunctions

Over the past twenty years, Prof. Yanick Crow and his team have developed internationally recognized expertise in genetic pathologies affecting the immune and neurological systems. The pathologies studied have a particularly severe impact on patients' quality of life, with a high mortality rate and a significant risk of occurrence in affected families. These pathologies are rare, and very often under-diagnosed. To date, there is virtually no effective curative treatment. Prof. Crow's team operates at the frontier between clinical and research work, and from experience, the team knows that patients and families affected by these serious pathologies are often highly motivated to help research into the pathology that affects them. Initially, Prof. Crow's research focused primarily on the study of the genetic disease Aicardi-Goutières Syndrome (AGS). However, there is an undeniable clinical and pathological overlap between AGS and other forms of disease such as autoimmune systemic lupus erythematosus and many other genetic pathologies - e.g. familial lupus engelure, spondyloenchondromatosis and COPA syndrome. This is why research is being extended to all genetic diseases with immune and neurological dysfunctions.