Sheffield scientists at the cutting edge of rheumatoid arthritis research
Scientists in Sheffield are playing a playing a major role in research into the crippling condition of rheumatoid arthritis, which affects around 600,000 people in the UK.
The city is a leading centre for arthritis research, with medical research charity the Arthritis Research Campaign providing around £1.5m into a variety of projects. A long-term genetic profiling programme is expected to have a huge impact on the diagnosis and treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.
The charity is highlighting the work, carried out at Sheffield University and the Royal Hallamshire Hospital's medical school, during its Research Week (June 5-12), aiming at raising awareness of rheumatoid arthritis.
Rheumatoid arthritis is an inflammatory disease in which the body's immune system attacks the joints, leading to pain, inflammation and stiffness.
The charity is spearheading a major research initiative into rheumatoid arthritis by currently pumping more than £6m into research centres throughout the UK. The outlook for patients is improving dramatically as better and more effective drug treatments are constantly developed.
In Sheffield, Professor Gordon Duff and Dr Francesco di Giovine and their team are using a five-year ARC programme grant to explore the molecular genetic profiling of patients with rheumatic disorders, such as rheumatoid arthritis.
This research involves studying the molecules responsible for inflammation or degeneration of joints, as it is increasingly recognised that the disorders from patients suffer are a combination of their own genetic structure and the environment in which they live.
The team were the first researchers to reveal that cytokines (chemical messengers) TNF and IL-1 were found in high levels of patients with rheumatpid arthritis, and later discovered that these were the key cytokines in the inflammatory process which leads to the destruction of cartilage and bone.
The hope is that the genetic profile of a patient will enable doctors to select the kind of treatment with the highest chance of being effective. This type of genetic profiling carried out in Sheffield is likely to have a huge future impact on both the diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to rheumatoid arthritis.
