Chronic inflammatory diseases, such as arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, autoimmune liver disease and Sjögren’s disease, currently require lifelong management but, with further investment in research investigating the cause of these diseases, it is possible that curative treatments could be found.

Newcastle University researchers will join a team of leading scientists, doctors and patient research partners as part of the new £50m UKRI Medical Research Council (MRC) Centre of Research Excellence (CoRE) for Restorative Immunology, funded over the next 14 years and led by a team of investigators from across the UK and Japan.

The MRC CoRE aims to transform the lives of people facing debilitating immune-mediated diseases which, as well as being a major burden on affected individuals, have considerable impact on health services and the wider economy.

These conditions arise when the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissues, including the joints, gut, skin, eyes, liver and salivary glands, among many others. The resulting inflammation can cause irreversible tissue and organ damage, chronic pain and lifelong disability.

Despite major advances in treatment, many people, including those whose disease begins in childhood, require lifelong therapy to control inflammation and prevent further damage. The impact can be profound, affecting health, independence and quality of life.

The research will bring together experts from eight universities, charities, public engagement organisations, industry and biotechnology, combining different skills and perspectives to improve the lives of patients and train the next generation of researchers.

Newcastle University and Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust bring expertise in experimental medicine, and will support the centre by leading a ground-breaking clinical trial of a cellular therapy that aims to switch off rheumatoid arthritis.

Professor John Isaacs is William Leech Professor of Rheumatology, Director of Research, Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Deputy Director, NIHR Biomedical Research Centre: Newcastle. He said: "We are delighted to be partners in the MRC Centre of Research Excellence in Restorative Immunology.  We have been developing and testing potentially curative therapies for many years, our tolerogenic dendritic cell therapy (AuToDeCRA) being the most recent. 

"The CoRE will allow us to progress our trials in people with rheumatoid arthritis, and the allied laboratory science will provide a much more detailed view of the effects of  treatment on the recipient’s blood and immune system and on their inflamed tissues.  This will help us to further refine the therapy and better understand how to administer it and measure its effects, ultimately testing its ability to switch off rheumatoid arthritis."

"a realistic opportunity to move beyond lifelong disease control towards treatments"

Professor Adam P Croft, Arthritis UK Chair of Rheumatology and Director of the MRC CoRE in Restorative Immunology explains; “While remarkable advances have been made in the treatment of immune-mediated inflammatory diseases over the past two decades, the focus has largely been on controlling inflammation to relieve symptoms and prevent damage to tissues.

"New technologies now allow us to study diseased tissues at unprecedented resolution, revealing how healthy tissue becomes diseased and identifying the cells and molecular pathways that drive this process. Combined with the development of therapies capable of precisely targeting these cells and pathways, this creates a realistic opportunity to move beyond lifelong disease control towards treatments delivered with curative intent – with the ultimate goal of restoring long-term health and wellbeing.”

Dr Ceri Williams, Executive Director of Challenge Led Portfolio at MRC, said; “MRC Centres of Research Excellence are designed to tackle some of the most important challenges in biomedical research through sustained, ambitious and collaborative science. By doing so, they contribute to UKRI’s mission to advance knowledge, improve lives and drive growth across the UK.

"The MRC CoRE for Restorative Immunology exemplifies that vision. Moving beyond treating symptoms to achieve lasting remission or cure will require a deeper understanding of how healthy tissues become disrupted and how those processes can be reversed.

"By bringing together expertise from across disciplines, sectors and countries to tackle these fundamental questions, this centre has the potential to transform our understanding of inflammatory disease and accelerate the development of treatments that deliver lasting benefits for patients."