Musculoskeletal Disease
and Inflammation Medicine

Musculoskeletal disease is a major burden on society and healthcare worldwide.

Researchers in this theme are experts in diseases of the musculoskeletal system characterized by unwanted inflammation.

What We Cover in This Theme

We have established world-leading research programmes in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and primary Sjogren’s syndrome (PSS). Both RA and PSS are exemplars of so-called immune-mediated rheumatic diseases, in which the immune system promotes unwanted inflammation that affects musculoskeletal health. Along with other immune mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs) these problems often occur alongside other chronic conditions; they are a major barrier to healthy ageing and a leading cause of health-related disability.

Our strategy addresses two priority research areas for IMIDs generally:

• Prediction and prevention. We will extend our understanding of the biological ‘triggers’ that lead to the initiation of unwanted chronic inflammation, and how to screen for them in the general population before they cause damage. An ability to do so will be a major step towards preventing chronic disease.
• Inflammation. Even though people diagnosed with a particular disease often have a common set of symptoms and features, the underlying biology may vary greatly. Conversely, the same inflammatory pathways may contribute to more than one disease. This explains why a given treatment can be used to treat more than one condition, yet is not effective for everyone with one of those conditions. Re-visiting disease classification with a greater emphasis on underlying biology should enable more personalised treatment strategies rather than the ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach that has not served IMID patients well until now.
• Fatigue. Fatigue is a complex phenomenon and a huge burden to people with IMIDs but little is known about the underlying biology and effective treatment is not yet available. We will prioritise new ways to measure fatigue to accelerate the development of new approaches to manage it in the future.

The Team

We bring together world-renowned clinical academics with broad expertise across a range of musculoskeletal conditions, who carry out experimental and translational medicine projects, particularly in the field of immunotherapy, and collaborate widely.

 

How We Carry Out Research

Our research combines state-of-the-art technology with extensively characterised patient cohorts across a range of conditions (including the North East Early Arthritis Cohort). Our partnerships deliver a comprehensive research portfolio, spanning from basic laboratory science through to first-in-man experimental medicine clinical trials.

By embedding our research activity within everyday NHS services, we are well placed to address those questions that are most important to patients, their carers and health professionals alike. And by working closely with colleagues across BRC themes, we are committed to deploying the research databases and infrastructure we have developed over many years, alongside state-of-the-art laboratory and digital technologies at our disposal in Newcastle, for the benefit of IMID patients more broadly. 

Who We Work With

We all contribute to the Musculoskeletal Services Unit at Newcastle Hospitals, and together we are recognised as a European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology (EULAR) Centre of Excellence. 

We also work very closely with The Patient and public Involvement and engagement in Musculoskeletal reSearch (PIMS) group,  a highly-valued group of patients, carers and members of the public. Together we co-develop research ideas, develop funding applications, carry out research and disseminate the results.

We have additionally developed a number of close collaborations with academic and industrial partners around the UK and internationally, to enrich the scope and impact of our research, including:

Partners across the UK via the RACE And BRAGGSS projects.

Partners across the EU via the SPIDeRR and  SINFONIA projects.

Industry colleagues including Pfizer, GSK and Janssen.

Theme Leadership and Contacts