Scientists in Glasgow awarded major grant from arthritis charity
SCIENTISTS in Glasgow have been awarded a major grant of £113,011 by leading medical research charity the Arthritis Research Campaign, for work aimed at finding new treatment for the crippling condition of rheumatoid arthritis.
More than 600,000 people in the UK are affected by RA, an auto-immune disease which leads to inflammation in the lining of the joint, causing swelling, pain and stiffness.
The ARC grant will enable a team in the Centre for Rheumatic Diseases at Glasgow Royal Infirmary, led by Dr Alastair Gracie, to spend the next three years investigating the role of a recently discovered chemical messenger called interleukin- 18 (IL-18) in the development of RA.
In RA, chemical messengers are released by the body's immune cells to attack the body, leading to inflammation, rather than being used to defend the body's organs against attack.
"Interleukin-18 has emerged as a critical factor in the development of immune responses in several models of inflammation," explained Dr Gracie. "Our research project will establish whether it is present in RA joint tissues. We also want to find out its potential role in the inflammatory events which lead to joint destruction."
If blocking the activity of IL-18 is shown to reduce inflammation and prevent joint destruction, it could then be used as a therapeutic target, forming the basis of new drug therapies.
