Patient and Public Involvement in laboratory based research: Reflections on six studies

Available: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Vejrg9Oa3dURUrI4fHydQSsZGSdmBNG2/view

A practical guide to patient and public involvement in lab-based research

Available: https://sites.google.com/parkinsons.org.uk/ppi-in-lab-based-research/home

PPI in Lab-Based Research

Researchers working in pre-clinical or laboratory-based fields often wonder how PPI can meaningfully fit into their work. Because lab research can be highly technical and sometimes abstract, it may initially seem challenging to identify where and how collaboration with patients and the public can occur. However, PPI can play an important role even at early or discovery stages of research.

In this section, we have gathered a range of resources to support researchers interested in incorporating PPI into lab-based research. To help you get started, we have also included several case studies that demonstrate practical examples of how PPI has been successfully integrated into laboratory-focused projects.

Case Studies: Six Examples of PPI in Lab-Based Research

PPI in lab-based research case studies

This webpage provides six case studies demonstrating how PPI can be integrated into lab-based research. It is designed particularly for researchers who may have little or no direct contact with people affected by the conditions they study. The examples highlight projects such as improving quality of life for people with joint pain, developing regenerative cell therapies, detecting brain changes in frontotemporal dementias, studying the impact of new drugs on neurons, and developing biomarkers for Parkinson’s disease.

Read more about these studies here.

Involving patients in healthcare research is well documented but can it work in lab-based research?

This paper describes how PPI can be successfully incorporated into laboratory-based research, using a translational ovarian cancer project as an example. Researchers invited people with lived experience of ovarian cancer to take part in discussions about their treatment experiences, which directly influenced the study design. Insights from patients highlighted that drugs with similar clinical effectiveness can have very different side effects and tolerability, leading the research team to broaden the range of drugs tested in their experiments. The article also shares perspectives from both researchers and patient participants, demonstrating how collaboration can improve research relevance, motivate researchers, and provide meaningful opportunities for patients to contribute to scientific progress.

Read the paper here!

Evolving approaches to broaden public and patient involvement in cancer research

Drawing on an ovarian cancer PPI project, the authors describe the development of a practical toolkit to help researchers integrate patient involvement into their work. They established a patient advisory committee and used workshops, lab tours, and discussions to gather insights from people with lived experience of ovarian cancer. Patient perspectives helped shape several research projects,such as treatment approaches, biomarker development, and diagnostic methods. The article also highlights the importance of diversity in PPI and describes targeted efforts to engage with the Bangladeshi community in Ireland. 

Read the paper here.

"How would you handle this?" The impact of embedding early patient and public involvement in a biomechanical computational engineering doctoral research project

The research initially aimed to develop computational models of hand joint mechanics, but early discussions with people living with hand osteoarthritis helped reshape the project’s priorities. Through a series of consultations with public contributors, the research team gained insight into the lived experience of the condition, which led to a shift in focus toward three key areas identified by patients: patient variability, joint instability, and raising awareness of hand osteoarthritis. PPI input influenced both the technical modelling work and wider public engagement activities. The paper demonstrates how early and meaningful PPI can guide research questions, improve relevance, and inspire new research directions, even in highly quantitative and technical fields such as engineering.

Read the paper here

The role of Patient and public involvement (PPI) in pre-clinical spinal cord research: An interview study

This study explored the perspectives of eleven seriously injured rugby players on PPI in pre-clinical spinal cord research. Most participants had little prior knowledge of PPI but felt their lived experiences could help make laboratory research more relevant to real-world needs. Key enablers included clear, accessible communication, personal interaction with researchers, and involvement in research dissemination. Barriers included accessibility challenges, lack of interest, and fear of losing hope if results were negative. The study highlights that meaningful engagement can bridge the gap between laboratory research and the lived experiences of people with spinal cord injury.

Read the paper here