Investigating shared cellular pathology in the gut-joint axis

This research project was awarded the 2024 Birmingham BRC Collaboration Fund

Status: Ongoing

There is evidence that joint inflammation in inflammatory arthritis may start from mucosal surfaces like the intestine. This connection, known as the ‘gut-joint axis,’ is particularly evident in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), where a significant number of patients also experience joint inflammation. However, current treatments that address both gut and joint inflammation are limited, and the underlying mechanisms are not well understood.

Project aims

We aim to establish whether inflammation in the gut and joints has similar cellular causes. This connection could help create more precise treatments and find new therapy targets. By bringing together rheumatologists and gastroenterologists from the NIHR Birmingham, Oxford and Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) BRCs, we will:

• establish a pathway to recruit individuals with suspected IBD and joint inflammation – this involves screening patients in an IBD clinic and offering them minimally invasive synovial biopsies if joint inflammation is detected
• collect and analyse matching gut and joint tissue samples to identify shared and distinct cellular profiles
• generatepreliminary data to support future funding applications and larger studies, aiming to improve treatment strategies for patients with IBD and joint inflammation