World Arthritis Day, 2021

We know that changes in certain genes can cause people to develop different types of arthritis - rheumatoid arthritis, juvenile idiopathic arthritis (arthritis in children and young people), and psoriatic arthritis (affecting those with the skin condition psoriasis).

Research into these conditions is now focussing on understanding exactly how the changes in the DNAcode causes people to develop arthritis.

To do this, researchers plan to look inside the cell, to see how differences in DNA

change the way a cell works. Locating differences in DNA (via DNA sequencing) is only a small part of the picture. One person can have many DNA changes all having a different effect on the cell. We need to understand all of these effects and how they work with each other to cause disease.

Understanding how these changes in the cell contribute towards disease, may reveal new ways to treat arthritis and help to prevent the painful symptoms that people experience.

What causes arthritis?

These types of arthritis are Immune-Mediated Inflammatory Disease or IMIDs. This means the immune system attacks the lining of the joints by mistake, causing inflammation, pain and swelling.

Alongside our NIHR BioResource, we also have an IMID BioResource, which recruits patients with inflammatory diseases to be involved in exciting research that will help find new treatments for their condition.

For more information, please follow this link: https://bioresource.nihr.ac.uk/centres-programmes/imid-bioresource/