Tim Cawston, William Leech Professor of Rheumatology
Arthritis is one of the most common complaints in old age, with 70% of those aged over 70 suffering from it in one or more joints.
Research at Newcastle University by William Leech Professor of Rheumatology, Tim Cawston, and his team is trying to discover why connective tissues such as cartilage in the body’s joints fail to replenish themselves as we age.
They are investigating osteoarthritis, the most prevalent arthritic disease, and the role of collagen, the most common protein in connective tissues.
"We need good imaging, so we can tell how quickly joints are deteriorating. We need good biomarkers to tell us what is happening in the joint. And we need new treatments that will prevent the damage," explained Professor Cawston. "If we succeed in these things it will make a huge difference to a very large number of people."
Centre for Integrated Research into Musculoskeletal Ageing (CIMA)
Professor Cawston is the Newcastle director of an initiative to tackle arthritis involving Liverpool and Sheffield Universities. They have jointly created the Centre for Integrated Research into Musculoskeletal Ageing (CIMA).
This brings together, for example, the expertise in Newcastle in ageing and cartilage research, Liverpool in muscle research and Sheffield’s focus on bones. Their collaborative work is funded by the Medical Research Council and Arthritis Research UK (ARUK).
They are searching both for the causes of arthritis and drug therapies for preventing or treating it.
Musculoskeletal Research Group
One of the hopeful areas of study in Newcastle, by the Musculoskeletal Research Group also funded by ARUK, is a way of modifying stem cells to produce cartilage.
When connective tissue breakdown occurs it may be possible in future to replenish it in this way to overcome the onset of arthritis. Newcastle’s Professor of Manufacturing Engineering, Kenneth Dalgarno, is part of the multi-disciplinary team. He has created novel ‘scaffolds’ in which the stem cells can be grown.
