(DIAMONDS)
Diagnosis and Management of Febrile Illness using RNA Personalised Multiclass Signature Diagnosis

Project summary

Our proposal will address the challenge of bringing personalised medicine into routine use in EU healthcare systems for diagnosis and treatment of common infectious and inflammatory diseases, which account for a up to a third of all medical encounters in primary care and hospital. The diagnostic process in clinical medicine has been based on recognition of a constellation of symptoms and clinical signs. However, a definitive diagnosis is made in only a minority of patients presenting to healthcare with suspected infection or inflammation. Genome-wide RNA-expression analyses have revealed that individual infectious and inflammatory diseases are characterised by unique patterns of RNA expression in blood. We propose a new personalised approach to diagnosis and treatment using each individual’s transcriptomic “signature”. We will use RNA expression data from newly recruited patients and from our previous EU funded cohort studies to develop and validate a novel transcriptome-based diagnostic classification, which will guide patient management and improve patient safety. In collaboration, we evaluate alternative platforms for Personalised Multiclass Signature Diagnosis (PMSD), and we will develop a prototype device. In partnership with healthcare system leaders, professional bodies and patient support groups, we will develop a pilot demonstration of the PMSD device, evaluating the costs and benefits of the wider introduction of PMSD across Europe. We will evaluate accuracy, cost effectiveness, safety and impact on resources in healthcare settings and patient groups reflecting the diversity across Europe

We expect a paradigm shift from a diagnostic process reliant on clinical signs and symptoms and imperfect tests to a new personalised medicine method for rapid and accurate diagnosis. This will lead to reduced health service costs and improve patient safety and satisfaction