Gut bacteria could lead to new treatment for inflammatory arthritis
Studying the trillions of bacteria and other microbes that share our body space could lead to a preventative treatment for immune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. It's long been suggested that the bacteria which live in our gut, mouth and elsewhere on our bodies may affect our immune system and lead to the development of certain diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis. But exactly how changes to these bacteria, collectively called the "microbiome", cause disease remains to be discovered. The research, which we awarded £2 million to, aims to unlock the link between gut bacteria and the development of immune diseases. This programme award brings together an international team of researchers, led by the University of Oxford, with partners from Birmingham and University College London, as well as collaborators in the US at Harvard University, New York University and Mount Sinai Hospital, New York. It should shed light on the role of the gut microbiome in early arthritis, established rheumatoid arthritis, a