Rheumatology

GCA Consortium – Clinical and immunogenetic characterization of giant cell arteritis (GCA) and polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR)

Principle Investigator:
Dr Rod Hughes

A genetic study to find out more about the causes of GCA (sometimes called temporal arteritis) and PMR which will hopefully lead to the development of better treatments with fewer side effects than the steroid treatment that is currently standard. Participants must have GCA (with or without PMR). There is no limit to recruitment numbers nor a fixed end-date for this retrospective study.

This study is sponsored by the University of Leeds and funded by National Institute for Health Research, the Wellcome Trust, the Mason Medical Research Foundation, The Leeds Teaching Hospitals Charitable Foundation, and the Biomedical Health Research Centre at the University of Leeds.

BSRBR-RA - British Society for Rheumatology Biologics Register for Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) – Are new treatments for RA harmful to long term health?

Joint Principle Investigators:
Dr Rod Hughes, Dr & Dr Gulam Patel

Biologic drugs for the treatment of RA have been available for two decades in the UK, with new drugs being approved each year. This study has been designed to collect data to ensure Biologics are safe and effective in the longer term. There is no limit to recruitment numbers nor a fixed end-date for this observational study.

This study is sponsored by the BSRBR and funded by Arthritis Research UK.

BSR-PsA – BritishSociety for Rheumatology Psoriatic Arthritis Register

Principle Investigator:
Dr E Sames

The BSR-PsA Register is a multi-centre prospective cohort study of patients who meet the CASPAR classification criteria for PsA who a) are starting a biologic or targeted synthetic disease modifying anti-rheumatic drug that has been licenced for the treatment of PsA in the UK having never previously received that particular agent; or b) have never received a bDMARD or tsDMARD agent.

IMID (Immune-Mediated Inflammatory BioResource part of the NIHR BioResource

Principle Investigator:
Dr Jyoti Bakshi

The IMID BioResource is a component part of the National Institute for Health and Care Research BioResouce. It aims to help research into the causes of Immune Mediated Inflammatory Diseases and understand determinants of IMID severity and treatment response. By understanding which genes and environmental factors are involved, and their impact on the immune system, we can investigate why some people get immune-mediated inflammatory diseases, why some of the existing treatments work in some patients but not in others, how better treatments might be developed and whether it might be possible to prevent or cure IMID