Bristol Childrens' Hospital

Dr Louise Newell

            

Consultant Dermatologist, Bristol Royal Infirmary and Bristol Children’s Hospital. Extensive experience in managing severe eczema requiring systemic treatment, in adults and children. Leads dedicated severe eczema clinics for adults and children.

County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust

Dr Shyamal Wahie

 

Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust

Professor Alison Layton

 

Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust - Children

 Prof. Carsten Flohr (Chief Investigator)

                                                                      

Carsten Flohr studied at Cambridge and Oxford Universities and then trained in both paediatrics and dermatology. He was the first UK National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Clinician Scientist in Dermatology and was recently awarded a senior Career Development Fellowship from the NIHR.

He is Professor of Dermatology and Population Science and directs the Unit for Population-Based Dermatology Research at St John’s Institute of Dermatology, King’s College London and Guy’s & St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust.

He is also Consultant in Dermatology and Research & Development Lead at St John’s Institute of Dermatology.

Prof Flohr has a particular interest in atopic eczema, its causes and novel methods of disease prevention and treatment

Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust - Adults

Dr Richard Woolf

             

Richard Woolf is a consultant dermatologist at the St John’s Institute of Dermatology, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust. His key clinical interest is in medical dermatology, working across large specialist eczema and psoriasis services. He also works in the general dermatology and skin cancer screening services.

Clinical Lead for medical dermatology at the St John’s Institute of Dermatology, starting September 2021. Also involved in the operational delivery of the eczema and psoriasis services and has led on service redesign and innovation. Principal Investigator and Sub-Investigator on multiple trials in atopic dermatitis and psoriasis.

Leicester Royal Infirmary

Dr Graham Johnston

Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust - Broadgreen Hospital

Dr Ben Thompson

MRC Human Immunology Unit and Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Dr Graham Ogg

                
Professor of Dermatology, University of Oxford and Honorary Consultant Dermatologist, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust. Runs a specialist adult eczema clinic. Deputy Director of the MRC Human Immunology Unit and sub-theme lead for the Oxford NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, which supports basic science and clinic trial work. Longstanding interest in the immunology of atopic eczema, with a particular focus on the roles of innate lymphoid cells and lipid-specific CD1a-restricted T cells, and their impact on the epithelium.

Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital

Dr May Fadhil

Consultant Dermatologist, Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital.

North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust and The James Cook University Hospital NHS Trust

Dr Sharmela Darne

 

Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust

Jo Llewellyn

 

Royal Children's Hospital Glasgow

Dr Paula Beattie

                  

Dr Paula Beattie is a Consultant Dermatologist in Glasgow and Honorary Senior Lecturer at University of Glasgow. She has a clinical and research interest in Atopic Eczema in both Children and Adults and has been involved in a number of UK wide eczema studies and trials. She sat on the development committee for the NICE guideline for assessment and diagnosis of food allergy in children.

Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust

Dr Caoimhe Fahy

 

Sheffield Teaching Hospital and Sheffield Children's Hospital

Professor Mike Cork

 

I joined the University of Sheffield in 1991 as a lecturer in dermatology whilst continuing as a practising dermatologist for the NHS in Sheffield. I had previously been a Registrar in Dermatology at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield, and before that a Registrar in Respiratory General Medicine at Leeds General Infirmary.

I have been closely involved with research in many areas of dermatology; including Atopic Eczema(dermatitis), Psoriasis, Vitiligo and the Genetics of Skin Disease. My major current research work is aimed at identifying gene–environment interactions in the development of atopic dermatitis leading to skin barrier breakdown and the understanding of how topical agents interact with the skin barrier; using this information to enhance the treatment of atopic dermatitis.

I am currently Head of Sheffield Dermatology Research in the Department of Infection, Immunity & Cardiovascular Disease at the University of Sheffield Medical School and am Honorary Consultant Dermatologist to both Sheffield Children´s Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and to Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust; my time is evenly split between the University and the NHS.

St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Dr Leila Ferguson

Surrey & Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust

Dr Irene Man

University Hospital of Wales

Dr John Ingram

             

Senior Lecturer and Consultant Dermatologist, Cardiff University and Cardiff & Vale University Health Board, with a particular interest in inflammatory skin disease. Editor-Elect of the British Journal of Dermatology and recipient of a five year Health Fellowship from Health and Care Research Wales (HCRW). Dermatology Specialty Lead for HCRW, coordinating dermatology clinical trials activity across Wales.

University of Dundee

Dr Ross Hearn

Consultant Dermatologist, Dundee; specialist clinics for adult and paediatric eczema.

University of Edinburgh

Dr Richard Weller

          

Richard Weller, Reader and Honorary Consultant Dermatologist, University of Edinburgh. Runs the eczema clinic in NHS Lothian and is active in basic and clinical research in eczema. Dermatology Lead for NHS Research Scotland. Expert advisor to NICE on dermatology.

University of Manchester

Professor Richard Warren

    

Professor of Dermatology and Therapeutics and Honorary Consultant Dermatologist, The University of Manchester.

His work in Dermatology has focussed on: pharmacogenetics (forming the basis of his PhD thesis), the genetic susceptibility to psoriasis and more recently biological therapies and their use in the treatment of psoriasis. For his work into the pharmacogenetics of methotrexate he has received national and international awards from the British Association of Dermatologists (BAD) and American Academy of Dermatology.

He is widely published in the field of Dermatology with numerous abstracts, papers and book contributions including The Lancet, Nature Genetics and The Journal of Investigative Dermatology. He is currently the EU Editor in Chief for the journal Dermatology and Therapy. He currently chairs the BAD guideline group for methotrexate and is a member of the BAD biologics committee and research subcommittee.

University of Newcastle and Newcastle Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Professor Nick Reynolds

           

Professor of Dermatology, Newcastle University, with a particular interest in therapeutics. Published one of the first stratified medicine studies in dermatology, a RCT of azathioprine in atopic eczema that utilised pharmacogenetic-based dosimetry. Co-Investigator in BADBIR since its inception, also leads one of the workstreams for PSORT. Director of Newcastle’s EPSRC/MRC Molecular Pathology Node, one of six units established in the UK to develop molecular diagnostic tools for stratification. Inaugural Chair UK TREND (Translational Research Network in Dermatology), now demitted and Past President of the European Society for Dermatological Research (ESDR).

University of Southampton

Associate Professor Dr Michael R. Ardern-Jones BSc, MBBS, DPhil, FRCP

      

Michael Ardern-Jones (MAJ) trained in Dermatology at St John’s Institute of Dermatology, London and subsequently Oxford. His DPhil (PhD) at Oxford explored the immunology of atopic dermatitis. He was appointed to University Hospitals Southampton NHS Trust and to the Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton in 2005.

He has a specific academic interest in inflammatory skin disease and leads the clinical service for eczema, skin allergy and drug hypersensitivity reactions. His clinical unit undertakes clinical trials in atopic eczema and other skin diseases. MAJ has long-standing research interest in all aspects of atopic eczema including: immunological mechanisms, immunotherapy, and the skin microbiome. His research lab comprises post-doctoral scientists, PhD students, clinical fellows and technicians.

Michael Ardern-Jones is President of the British Society for Medical Dermatology and Immediate Past Chair of the British Society for Investigative Dermatology. He also chairs The Skin Investigation Society. He is lead author on the Atopic eczema chapters and co-author for Drug allergy in Rook’s Textbook of Dermatology. He is an expert advisor to NICE and the MHRA on dermatology.

Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust

Dr Aaron Wernham

West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust

Dr Victoria Brown

    

Dr Victoria Brown is a Consultant Dermatologist at West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust. She runs clinics for adults with chronic inflammatory dermatology conditions, including eczema. She is currently the local Principal Investigator for all the dermatology research studies carried out at West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust. Her previous research experience includes working as a Medical Research Council Clinical Training Fellow at the Centre for Cutaneous Research at the Royal London Hospital.

Inclusion criteria

  • Paediatric and adult patients with atopic eczema who due to the severity of their disease and/or impact on quality of life are commencing on or switching to another systemic immuno-modulatory agent (e.g. CyA, AZA, MTX or biologic treatments).
  • Written informed consent for study participation obtained from the patient or parents / legal guardian, with assent as appropriate by the patient, depending on the level of understanding.
  • Participants consent to participate in long-term follow up and access to all medical records, including hospital admission records and linkage to data held by NHS bodies or other national providers of healthcare data.
  • Diagnosis of atopic eczema in keeping with the UK/Irish diagnostic criteria.
  • Willingness to comply with all study requirements.
  • Competent use of English language, according to patient’s age (capable of understanding patient questionnaires).

Exclusion Criteria

  • Insufficient understanding of the study by the patient and/or parent/guardian.
  • Patients who are currently participating in a randomised clinical trial.

Safety reporting responsibilities for Principal Investigators

Event When How To Whom
All Adverse Events Anytime Via electronic CRF Study co-ordinating centre

 

Drug-related Serious Adverse Reactions Anytime Electronic submission through:

-Yellow card scheme for UK sites: https://yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk/

-HPRA website for Irish sites https://www.hpra.ie/homepage/about-us/report-an-issue (Human Medicine Adverse Reaction)

-Study co-ordinating centre: eCRF

 

MHRA (UK) or HPRA (Ireland).

 

Study co-ordinating centre

Adverse Reactions for Medicines under additional monitoring a Anytime Electronic submission through:

-Yellow card scheme for UK sites: https://yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk/

-HPRA website for Irish sites https://www.hpra.ie/homepage/about-us/report-an-issue (Human Medicine Adverse Reaction)

-Study Co-ordinating Centre: eCRF

 

MHRA (UK) and HPRA (Ireland).

 

 

Study Co-ordinating Centre

a. Medicines under additional monitoring are those who display an inverted Black Triangle in the SmPC. The black triangle symbol identifies newly licensed medicines that require additional monitoring by the EMA. Such medicines include new active substances, biosimilar medicines, and medicines that the EMA consider require additional monitoring. The latest list can be found in: www.mhra.gov.uk/blacktriangle or EMA website.

Protocol

A-STAR Protocol – V4.0 (01-JUL-2022)

Patient Information Sheets, Informed Consent forms & Assent Forms

A-STAR Adult PIS-ICF V2.0_1Feb19

A-STAR Children PIS AF V2.0_1Feb19

A-STAR Parents_guardians PIS-ICF V2.0_1Feb19

A-STAR Very Young Children PIS AF V2.0_1Feb19

A-STAR Young person PIS AF V2.0_1Feb19

 

Withdraw Forms

A-STAR Patient withdraw Form V2.0_1Feb19

A-STAR Withdraw Form Minor & Carer V2.0_1Feb19

Questionnaires

 ! This material is copyright protected and can only be used by the investigational sites, for the purpose of delivering A-STAR. The documents must not be reproduced, modified or used for any other purpose.

Adults

poem-for-self-completion-A-STAR V1.0 18Jul18

Dermatology Life Quality Index: DLQI A-STAR V1 18Jul18

Asthma Control Test:  A-STAR ACT V1.0 24Aug18

Children

Children’s Dermatology Life Quality Index: CDLQI A-STAR V1 18Jul18 

Children’s Dermatology Life Quality Index (cartoons): CDLQI Cartoon English V1 16Oct18

Infants’ Dermatology Quality of Life: IDQOL A-STAR V1 18Jul18

Parents/Carers

POEM proxy poem-for-proxy-completion- A-STAR V1.0 18Jul18

Site Staff

EASI A-STAR V2.0 9Oct18

Validated Investigator Global Assessment Scale_vIGA-AD_2017

Itch Severity Index v1.0 30Jan2019

MedDRA

https://www.meddra.org/training-materials

Skin examination

Skin Examination Protocol:

ASTAR skin examination protocol

 

Fieldworker Test:

If a clinician is directly involved in making the decision to enrol patients into A-STAR, please can they carry out the following online diagnosis test:

Eczema diagnosis manual, including fieldworker test (read the sections on the UK diagnostic criteria, look at the 48 training photographs (Section 1.3 The UK diagnostic criteria for atopic eczema; Section 3.2. The sign of flexural dermatitis) and then take the fieldworker test: ‘test photographs’, Appendix 5):

https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/~mzzfaq/dermatology/eczema/

Tanzeem Begum (Clinical Research Associate)

St John’s Institute of Dermatology, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust and King’s College London.