New discovery studies to help diagnose and treat arthritis effectively

We are delighted to announce the funding of new discovery research projects that aim to help us more effectively diagnose and treat arthritis. Discovery research helps us understand the underlying science behind arthritis conditions.

A quick and accurate diagnosis is essential for people with arthritis - and so are personalised treatments that tackle arthritis before it does too much damage to the joints or other parts of the body. We know that the longer arthritis is left untreated, the worse symptoms, joint function, and quality of life can be.

That’s why in this awards scheme we fund research that focuses on two priority areas: the early detection and prevention for arthritis and targeted treatments for arthritis. 

How are we helping to accelerate the diagnosis and treatment of arthritis?

We have awarded millions of pounds to researchers to drive new discoveries that will improve the diagnosis and treatment of arthritis and related conditions.

Read below to learn more about the £3.2M of new amazing discovery science that we are funding!  

New treatment approaches for osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis (OA) affects 10 million people across the UK, with its symptoms having a significant impact on lives and livelihoods. That is why we are investing in two new projects to investigate potential new treatment approaches for OA. 

Can we ‘turn off’ inflammation in osteoarthritis?

Current medicines for OA focus on managing the symptoms such as pain. However, these medicines aren’t always effective and can have side effects for some people. Professor Simon Jones and his team at the University of Birmingham believe that a new targeted treatment might hold the key to long-lasting pain relief for people with OA.

Previous research from this team has found that a type of cell in our joint lining is an important driver of inflammation that can lead to joint pain and damage. The goal of this research is to create a targeted treatment that can be delivered directly to these cells to stop this inflammation.

To achieve this, researchers will combine a powerful molecule that can switch off the genes known to trigger inflammation with a tag that will help this molecule go precisely where it needs to go to be more effective with fewer side effects.

This targeted approach could provide long-lasting pain relief and slow the disease progression of OA, without side effects. If successful, this approach could also pave the way for other similar uses in other conditions.  

A new approach to repairing cartilage damage

Researchers led by Dr Suzanne Eldridge at Queen Mary University London are also investigating a new treatment approach to slow down and even reverse the cartilage loss seen in osteoarthritis.

Cartilage is the tough but slippery coating that covers the surface of our bones to help them move freely against each other. When a joint develops osteoarthritis part of this cartilage thins and the surface becomes rougher. The bodies attempt to repair this cartilage can lead to joint pain and stiffness. There are currently no medicines that can slow down or reverse this cartilage damage.

Previously these researchers have discovered a molecule called ‘Agrin’ which is found naturally in healthy cartilage. They found that Agrin was important for the health of cartilage and is able to repair cartilage and bone in the lab and in small animal models. Dr Eldridge and team have now made a ‘patient-ready’ version of Agrin and want to test if it can help regrow cartilage and relieve pain in large animal models. They also aim to find out which patients are most likely to benefit from this treatment, especially after joint injuries.

If successful, this project will bring us a step closer to getting approvals to start clinical trials to test Agrin. This could eventually lead to a treatment that could repair damaged cartilage in addition to relieving symptoms. This would mean less pain, improved movement, and possibly avoiding joint replacement surgeries.

Can we detect osteoarthritis earlier in people following joint injury?

Often osteoarthritis is detected too late when there are already significant changes seen in the joint. If we could detect osteoarthritis earlier before these changes happen, we might be able to tailor treatment options to reduce the need for joint replacement surgery.

Dr Heba Ismail and her team at the University of Sheffield think that molecules that appear in the joint post-injury might help detect osteoarthritis earlier.

Researchers have recently discovered that there are often changes in the levels of a protein called ubiquitin following injury. Further research has shown that the molecules responsible for the removal of ubiquitin are highly active in injured and osteoarthritic joints. Dr Ismail and team concluded that that these ‘ubiquitin removers’ may represent early signs of disease and potential targets for treatment.

This project aims to improve the early detection of osteoarthritis by identifying and targeting these ‘ubiquitin removers’. This will be done by first screening for ‘ubiquitin remover’ activity in patient blood and joint fluid. This will help to establish whether they are early markers of OA. Following this, researchers will also see if stopping the activity of these ‘ubiquitin removers’ can stop cartilage damage using existing drugs.

Ultimately this research could potentially transform the early detection of osteoarthritis. This could speed up diagnosis and allow for earlier treatment, which we know greatly improves long term health outcomes. 

Helping people with rheumatoid arthritis get the right treatment

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is one of the most common autoimmune inflammatory disorders, where the immune system mistakenly attacks its own joints. Despite many effective treatments, not all people with RA will respond to every medicine. Health care professionals cannot predict who will respond, and this means people may go through lots of medicines to find the right treatments. 

Dr Elisa Corsiero and her team at Queen Mary’s University London want to understand why some people appear to not respond to a treatment known as Rituximab. Their research shows that this may be because of a substance called interferon, which can stop the drug from working. 

In this project, the researchers will study two types of cells in the joints, called B cells and fibroblasts, that might talk to each other and might produce interferon and how this leads to treatment failure. Researchers will then look at samples from people with RA to see if markers from these cells can help predict whether the drug will be effective.

This research could lead to more accurate ways to match people with the right treatment for them from the start, reducing the need for trial and error.

Developing a new cell therapy approach to reset rheumatoid arthritis

Professor Adam Croft and his team at the University of Birmingham are testing a new treatment approach for rheumatoid arthritis that they hope can restore the inflamed joint back to a healthy state.

In healthy joints, cells called fibroblasts provide important structure to the joint lining. However, in rheumatoid arthritis some of these fibroblasts act differently and contribute to joint inflammation by encouraging the presence of other inflammatory cells. Current treatments do not target these cells, which could be why inflammation often comes back in the same joints.

The research team believe that by selectively removing these activated fibroblasts you might be able to restore the environment of the joint back to a healthy state. To achieve this the research team will test specially engineered immune cells called CAR-T cells that find and remove the harmful fibroblasts from the joints. Researchers want to see if doing this can ‘reset’ the joint and stop disease progression in mouse models of rheumatoid arthritis.

This research will lay the foundation for future in-human studies that could ultimately lead to new treatment options that remove the root cause of joint damage in RA. This could mean fewer flare-ups and better long-term results for people with RA.

Support our research

We won’t stop supporting scientists who are working to end arthritis. Research projects like these aim to get us closer to real benefits for people with arthritis.