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University of Manchester leads arthritis research

Researchers in Manchester have launched a study into the causes of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) as part of a £4.5m consortium.

Data will be collected from patients’ family members, some of whom will be at increased risk of developing the condition themselves.

The data will then form a national database for use in examining and comparing lifestyle and genetic information in those who develop RA against those who do not.

The study will be led by Professor Ian Bruce, National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) and Professor of Rheumatology at the University of Manchester and consultant at Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

Professor Bruce said: “The information that this study provides will enable scientists to examine and compare the lifestyle and genetic information in those people who are diagnosed with RA themselves, against those who are not affected by the disease.

“This will give us vital clues to the early events in the process that ends in someone developing RA and, importantly, how we may prevent this.”

Stratified medicine, such as the method used in this case, is based on identifying subgroups of patients with a particular disease who experience differences in their symptoms, the underlying disease mechanism, or the way they respond to treatment.

The Medical Research Council has committed £60 million to the Stratified Medicine Initiative over the Current Spending Review period and is coordinating action in this area with the Technology Strategy Board, the National Institute of Health Research and the UK Health Departments, Cancer Research UK and Arthritis Research UK.

Researchers involved in the project will come from the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Manchester Musculoskeletal Biomedical Research Unit, a partnership between Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and The University of Manchester.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tom Keighley .