The North East’s Regional Immunology and Allergy Unit at the RVI is one of the largest units of its kind in the UK.
The laboratory supports this unit through the investigation and monitoring of a wide range of autoimmune disorders. These include:- Connective Tissue Diseases, Coeliac Disease, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Vasculitis, Autoimmune Liver Disease, Neurological diseases and Autoimmune endocrine diseases.
The laboratory also supports monitoring of patients on biological therapies such as anti – TNF α medication and plays an important role in the diagnosis of allergic disease through testing of specific IgEs.
This section of the laboratory also plays a role in the diagnosis and monitoring of Myeloma and Multiple Sclerosis.
We also provide the NHS Sickle Cell and Thalassemia (SCT) screening programme for both Newborn and Antenatal Screening.
Additionally, the laboratory supports the National Renal Complement Therapeutics Centre (NRCTC) based at Newcastle. This is a multidisciplinary service which focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of Complement mediated kidney disease and the lab supports this service through the testing of many components of the Complement cascade.