Leicester scientists aim to track down reasons for heart disease deaths in arthritis patients
A team of Leicester scientists are aiming to use the very latest gene technology to find out why patients with rheumatoid arthritis are more at risk of heart disease compared with healthy people.
Joseph Lunec, professor of chemical pathology at the University of Leicester, heads up a team which has been awarded more than £74,000 from leading medical research charity the Arthritis Research Campaign to carry out the two-year study.
Rheumatoid arthritis is an incurable, inflammatory condition of the joints which affects around 600,000 people in the UK. Despite its seriousness, patients are unlikely to die from joint problems; about half of all rheumatoid arthritis patients die because of problems with their heart brought on by the disease.
"Many of the risk factors for heart disease, such as a high fat diet and smoking, are no greater in RA patients compared to the rest of the population," explained Professor Lunec. "We don't know the reasons why patients with RA are at greater risk of heart disease, but our research, using cutting edge technology to look at genes in blood cells, aims to explore the possible reasons for this."
"Although this project is innovative it will utilise currently unique clinical and laboratory resources and already existing expertise, so we have a realistic chance of success," he added.
The Leicester laboratory is the first academic research group in the UK to install a £3m Affymetrix GeneChip system, which can measure simultaneously the expression of 60,000 genes. This number is likely to increase with more information arising from the Human Genome Project.
Data gathered from the team's innovative approach could lead to larger studies aiming to understand the mechanisms, develop predictive tests, and design targeted drugs to prevent or treat the commonest cause of death in rheumatoid arthritis.
Professor Lunec will collaborating with Dr George Kitas, a consultant rheumatologist from Dudley Hospital, whose patients will provide the necessary DNA samples.
Through his collaborations at the Universities of Birmingham and Leicester, Professor Lunec has had a long, fruitful relationship with the ARC, with studies related to the development of rheumatoid arthritis and lupus.
The Arthritis Research Campaign is the fifth biggest medical research charity in the UK, and in the past 12 months has funded £21m of research in academic institutions and universities in the country. It relies entirely on public donations to fund its programme.
