Major New Arthritis Study (8/16/2007)

More than 1,000 rheumatoid arthritis patients from West Yorkshire are to take part in a major new study which could lead to more effective targeting of treatment.

A team led by Dr Ann Morgan at the Leeds Institute for Molecular Medicine in St James's Hospital at the University of Leeds will examine the genetic make-up of patients in order to see if it is possible to predict which of them will develop the condition most severely.

She will be funded by a two-year project grant of £107,655 by the Arthritis Research Campaign.

"Rheumatoid arthritis is a disease where the body's immune system attacks the joints and destroys them," explained Dr Morgan. "For some people the treatments we currently use either do not work very well or have side effects, and it would be very helpful if we could predict how bad the arthritis is going to be from the start and the treatments that are the most likely to work for each individual patient."

Antibodies such as rheumatoid factor play a large role in the development and perpetuation of inflammation in RA, and Dr Morgan has found that genetic differences in antibody receptors called Fc gamma receptors seem to influence the development of the disease.

She now plans to study this group of genes further to see if they can be used as a marker to predict the severity of RA from the start of the illness. "They may also predict which individuals are more likely to develop problems with other parts of the body, such as the skin, heart and eyes," she added.

"Our ongoing studies should establish the precise changes that are present in these genes and the way that these changes in the genetic make-up alter our susceptibility for rheumatoid arthritis. If we are correct, this genetic information may also help guide the choice and intensity of treatment offered."

Dr Morgan and her team will investigate these genetic differences in more than 1,000 patients from the Yorkshire Early Arthritis Register set up by Arthritis Research Campaign Professor Paul Emery in Leeds ten years ago. The severity of arthritis and response to treatment has been recorded at the onset of the disease and at annually for two years.

A spokeswoman for the charity said: "Dr Morgan's research is very important as predicting which patients will go on to develop severe disease is essential in order for these patients to be targeted with effective therapies such as anti-TNF therapies. These drugs, trialled extensively in Leeds, have revolutionised the treatment of severe rheumatoid arthritis."

Note: This story has been adapted from a news release issued by the University of Leeds

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