Who are we?
We are a network of clinicians, scientists, charity and industry partners working together to unify existing disease biobanks in order to facilitate precision medicine for Immune-Mediated Inflammatory Disease (IMID).
Immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs) are common medical conditions which can cause a great deal of pain, distress, loss of function and, in some cases, early death in those affected by them. It is difficult to know the precise number of people in the UK affected by such diseases, however we know that rheumatoid arthritis affects roughly 700,000 people and lupus up to 50,000 people.
IMIDs are clinically diverse, for example, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) affects joints whilst psoriasis targets skin, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) may affect the kidneys and the skin, as well as the heart, lungs and brain. Autoimmune hepatitis and primary biliary cirrhosis both cause damage to the liver and Sjögren's syndrome can stop moisture-secreting glands working - meaning those affected have dry eyes and mouth amongst other symptoms. Despite these differences, many of these diseases share the similar genetic & environmental factors and inflammatory mechanisms.
Although we can say that the treatment of a significant proportion of people with IMIDs has been revolutionised through the use of biologic drugs and more informed treatment strategies, some patients still show no response to therapies that work for others or develop resistance to the treatments over time.
A more precise approach that treats the right patient, with the right drug at the right dose and time is essential. This is only possible through in-depth study of large datasets derived from patients affected by IMIDs. By analysing detailed information about individual patients and their samples, researchers can produce a "molecular map" that would allow their clinician to develop a more informed treatment plan which will provide a better outcome for that individual with reduced risks. So far much of the research in IMIDs have focused on one disease at a time, rather than reviewing the data for groups of diseases known to share similar genetic pathways or environmental risks.
You can find out more about our aims and partners by clicking the links below.
Privacy notice
The following privacy notice relates to any person or institution applying to access IMID-Bio-UK resources or communicating directly with IMID-Bio-UK Consortium.
Your Personal Data
The University of Glasgowwill be what’s known as the ‘Data Controller’ of your personal data processed in relation to your application to access resources related to the Immune-Mediated Inflammatory Disease in the UK project. This privacy notice will explain how The University of Glasgow will process your personal data.
Why we need it
We are collecting your basic personal data such as name, email address and contact details in order to process your application to access IMID-Bio-UK resources and to communicate with you about this. We will only collect data that we need in order to provide and oversee this service to you.
Legal basis for processing your data
We must have a legal basis for processing all personal data. In this instance, the legal basis is Consent.
What we do with it and who we share it with
- All the personal data you submit is processed by staff at the University of Glasgow in the United Kingdom. It may be shared with members of the Scientific Access Advisory Committee. A list of members of the Committee can be found appended to this document.
- Your contact details will be stored on a secure server at the University of Glasgow which requires a password to access it.
How long do we keep it for?
Your data will be retained by the University for up to six months in the case of unsuccessful applications or up to six months after your project ends if access is granted. After this time, data will be securely deleted.
What are your rights?
You can request access to the information we process about you at any time. If at any point you believe that the information we process relating to you is incorrect, you can request to see this information and may in some instances request to have it restricted, corrected or, erased. You may also have the right to object to the processing of data and the right to data portability.
Where we have relied upon your consent to process your data, you also have the right to withdraw your consent at any time. Withdrawal of consent whilst your study is underway, will result in termination of your project as we require the ability to contact you using your personal details whilst you have been granted access to IMID-Bio-UK resources.
If you wish to exercise any of these rights, please contact sancha.martin@glasgow.ac.uk.
Complaints
If you wish to raise a complaint on how we have handled your personal data, you can contact the University Data Protection Officer who will investigate the matter.
Our Data Protection Officer can be contacted at dataprotectionofficer@glasgow.ac.uk.
If you are not satisfied with our response or believe we are not processing your personal data in accordance with the law, you can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) https://ico.org.uk/