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Research projects – how you can take part

Taking part in research
Participants in the metabolic profile study

Professor Catherine Williamson’s Maternal & Fetal Disease Group began to investigate intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) in 1997 and hers is now one of the largest research groups, focusing on cholestasis in Europe. ICP Support has been collaborating with this group since it started.

As a result, many women and their families have donated blood samples and provided data for studies into the condition. Their generosity has enabled the research to develop rapidly, and many scientific papers have been published. The group is also indebted to all the clinicians and midwives around the country who have helped to collect these samples and provide data.

To sustain this momentum more samples are needed, and this is where you could help (whether you are pregnant or not). There are several studies taking place that have all been approved by ethics committees and the hospitals who provide sponsorship for them to take place. You will need to be resident in the UK.

Simply click on one of the pictures below to take you to the different studies that you could be involved in. Not all of them will be appropriate for you, as they require that you travel to Queen Charlotte’s & Chelsea Hospital or St Thomas’ Hospital (both in London).

Professor Williamson is the Chief Investigator for all the studies.

We also need a control group of women who have been pregnant but who have not had any complications in their pregnancy. This helps the researchers to make sure that any new discoveries, such as a new genetic change, are specific to women with ICP rather than all pregnant women. If you have friends (not relatives) who might also be interested in helping us they can also take part.

Your samples will make a difference, helping researchers add to existing knowledge of the condition – knowledge that has only been obtained because of the generosity of previous ICP and non-ICP families.

If you are interested in participating in any of these studies or want more information, please contact Jenny Chambers, who is the clinical trials coordinator for Professor Williamson: jennychambers@icpsupport.org. Contacting Jenny does not commit you to taking part, as at this stage you are simply expressing an interest.