The University of Manchester is playing a leading role in a new £3 million initiative aimed at transforming outcomes for people living with arthritis through cutting-edge epidemiological research.
The charity Versus Arthritis has awarded £3m to bring world-leading experts from five UK universities together to accelerate clinical epidemiology research, which will help answer pressing questions from those living with arthritis.
Professor Kimme Hyrich, Director of The University of Manchester Centre for Musculoskeletal Research will co-lead the consortium with Professor Christian Mallen, Executive Dean and Professor of General Practice and Public Health at Keele University.
Professor Hyrich, a leading clinical epidemiologist and consultant rheumatologist, highlights the advantages of team science in epidemiological research: "This award represents an exciting step-change in the way musculoskeletal epidemiology research is conducted in the UK, breaking down traditional research siloes and uniting minds, data and expertise to generate the evidence needed to support people living with arthritis and other painful musculoskeletal conditions."
The new research consortium is part of the charity's drive to harness 'team science' to better understand the causes and risk factors for arthritis and improve treatment options. Epidemiology - the study of how diseases occur in different people and why - is critical to designing better and targeted interventions using data.
The consortium, made up of experts from the Universities of Manchester, Keele, Oxford, Nottingham and Aberdeen, aims to close five gaps in our understanding of the debilitating disease and related conditions. They will consider menopause in relation to musculoskeletal health, inequalities in access to care, risks of long-term pain medications and determine the optimum levels of monitoring for those receiving immune drugs. The researchers will also aim to identify those at higher risk of chronic pain sooner, given painful musculoskeletal conditions often begin in childhood. This holds the potential to explore ways to prevent or reduce persistent pain.
Lucy Donaldson, Director of Research at Versus Arthritis, said: "The Versus Arthritis Research Consortium: Musculoskeletal Epidemiology - Better lives, Safer journey is a major step forward in tackling the everyday realities faced by people living with arthritis and other painful musculoskeletal conditions.
"This consortium will bring together leading researchers, clinicians, and people with lived experience from across the UK in a team science approach. Their aim - to find real, practical solutions to the problems faced by people with arthritis."
The consortium will employ cutting edge analysis techniques on existing datasets to fill the identified gaps in our knowledge of arthritis and MSK conditions. Its findings will help to arm those living with arthritis to have informed conversations with clinicians about their care. It will also seek to improve clinical practice and policy around diagnosis, prevention and treatment.
Professor Mallen, Keele University, said: "The new Versus Arthritis Research Consortium is an exciting new programme that will have a major impact on the lives of people living with painful conditions by uniting world-leading clinicians, academics, patients and policy makers.
"It is a privilege to co-lead the consortium with Professor Hyrich and having strong representation from Keele University highlights the importance of primary care in improving outcomes for people living with arthritis and chronic musculoskeletal pain."
The results will be shared through a broad range of partners including government, the NHS, clinicians and patient networks.
More than 20 million people, of all ages, in the UK have problems with their joints, bones and muscles, which cause pain and impact all aspects of life including work and school.
The Versus Arthritis Research Consortium: Musculoskeletal Epidemiology - Better lives, Safer journey is the first of six consortia to be announced by Versus Arthritis which is awarding £18 million of funding to this initiative over the next three years.
