Cardiff Arthritis Expert Awarded Major New Grant
A leading international expert in cartilage, based in Cardiff, has been awarded a major grant for research that could have a significant, long-term effect on patients with osteoarthritis.
Dr Vic Duance, reader in biochemistry at the Connective Tissue Biology Laboratories, Cardiff University, has been awarded a three-year grant of £120,325 from the medical research charity, the Arthritis Research Campaign.
Dr Duance, who has been in Cardiff since 1996, is an internationally recognised expert in the field of cartilage collagen metabolism.
More than one million people in the UK suffer from osteoarthritis, the most common form of arthritis. It is caused when the cartilage - the smooth slippery substance at the ends of bones which act as a shock absorber - becomes thin, and wears away. Collagen is an important component of the connective tissue, which makes up cartilage, and is also found in tendons and ligaments.
Dr Duance and his team will be studying the effects of one particular type of collagen on osteoarthritis. "Type IX collagen is a component of articular cartilage which if absent or altered results in a weakened tissue that may lead to joint diseases such as osteoarthritis," explained Dr Duance.
"Type IX collagen gives strength to cartilage by interacting with other components of this tissue, but at present we do not know which ones. This study will identify these components which will help us to fully understand the importance of type IX collagen and its potential role in diseases such as osteoarthritis."
The Connective Tissue Laboratories is one of the major research groups within the University of Cardiff's School of Biosciences, which investigates musculoskeletal and craniofacial biology in health and disease.
The ARC currently pumps £1.3m into research, which makes up 40 per cent of its extramural grant support. The ARC is the only medical research charity dedicated solely to finding the cause of and cure for arthritis and rheumatic disease.
