Charity Versus Arthritis has awarded £3m to bring together world-leading experts from five UK universities - including the University of Aberdeen - to accelerate clinical epidemiology research, which will help answer pressing questions from those living with arthritis.
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 there are many remaining unmet needs around arthritis, compounded by significant gaps in understanding:
“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.
“Our research consortia 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.
“We are absolutely delighted to have research leaders from the University of Aberdeen as part of this consortium. Their work within our Centre for Musculoskeletal Health and Work reflects their expertise in robust epidemiological research. Their expertise covers condition-specific and symptom-based approaches, as well as rare diseases and their associated care pathways. The Aberdeen team has an outstanding track record in high-quality patient and public involvement and engagement (PPIE), and we’re excited to see this strength embedded across the consortium’s activities."
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 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.
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.”
“It is a real privilege to be able to lead this multidisciplinary team. Placing people with lived experience at the core of our consortium and working closely with implementation scientists from the outset will ensure that our outputs are robust and meaningful and delivered to the right audience in the most appropriate way.”
Professor Mallen, a leading researcher and GP, said the inclusion of primary care spoke volumes of the role GPs play in achieving better outcomes for those living with musculoskeletal conditions:
"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 Prof 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."
Dr Rosemary Hollick, Director of the Aberdeen Centre for Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Health and consultant rheumatologist said:
“I’m delighted to lead the health inequalities workstream within this ambitious new consortium. People living with arthritis often face unfair and avoidable barriers to accessing care and support.
"Our work will focus on identifying these inequities, listening closely to the experiences of those from underrepresented groups – including children, young people, and people living in disadvantaged areas – and co-developing solutions that can make a real difference.
"By applying a health equity lens across the consortium’s work, we aim to ensure that improvements in care reach everyone, regardless of who they are or where they live.”
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.