UCL doctors to investigate incurable condition of lupus
DOCTORS at University College, London, have been awarded a major grant of more than £94, 000 to investigate the causes of an incurable, yet little-know rheumatic disease, lupus.
Lupus affects up to 30,000 people in the UK, mainly young women, and can cause kidney failure, destroy joints, and lead to frequent miscarriage. It requires lifelong medication, but because it mimics the symptoms of other diseases it is often misdiagnosed.
Now a team lead by David Isenberg, ARC Professor of Rheumatology at the Centre for Rheumatology Unit at UCL, and a leading lupus expert, will use a two-year grant from the Arthritis Research Campaign to investigate defects in the white blood cells of patients with the condition using sophisticated biological and immunological techniques.
"These cells are part of the body's immune system, and it has been shown recently that patients with the disease have a fault in the method by which these cells communicate with each other," explained Professor Isenberg.
"Breakdown in communication of this type (also known as cell signalling) can result in an unstable immune system, which ultimately leads to the symptoms suffered by lupus patients."
Professor Isenberg added that the study of basic immune cell defects was essential to allow greater understanding of the disease process. It may lead to the development of more effective disease management.
- The ARC has also awarded a three-year Senior Research Fellowship of £334,800 to Dr Christopher Denton at the Royal Free and University College Medical School for work into scleroderma, a serious, incurable and sometimes fatal rheumatic condition.
- The Arthritis Research Campaign is the fifth biggest medical research charity in the UK, and in the past 12 months has spent £21m on research in academic institutions throughout the country. UCL receives several million pounds every year from the ARC to fund research into arthritis and rheumatic disease.
