Connecting for a Better Future in Autoimmune Research

This March, for Autoimmune Awareness Month, the Connect Immune Research partnership is spotlighting autoimmunity, and autoimmune conditions.

Autoimmune conditions affect millions of people worldwide. They occur when the immune system – normally our defence against infection – attacks the body’s own tissues. This can cause inflammation, damage, and tissue destruction. Although an autoimmune attack on any part of the body can impair its function and, in severe cases, destroy it completely, we still don’t fully understand what triggers the development of an autoimmune condition in the first place.

Connect Immune Research, a partnership of 16 charities – including 8 AMRC members – was established to unite charities with a focus on autoimmune conditions. By encouraging cross-condition collaboration, the partnership aims to deepen our understanding of autoimmunity and highlight biological mechanisms and pathways shared between these conditions. It also aims to raise awareness of the impact of living with one, or more, autoimmune conditions.

The need for a cross-condition approach

There are over 80 autoimmune conditions, with an estimated one in ten people in the UK – around 6.9 million people – living with at least one. Yet getting a diagnosis can be a challenging, and often lengthy, process. It can take months, or even years, to be diagnosed with inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis. People living with axial spondyloarthritis (which causes chronic back pain and stiffness) wait an average of 8.5 years, whilst adults living with coeliac disease wait 13 years on average for a diagnosis.

For conditions such as multiple sclerosis and juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), there is no single specific diagnostic test, and other conditions may have to be ruled out first. As Richard, a parent of a child with JIA, explains, “Even though we knew that children get arthritis, our daughter's diagnosis took a long time – they decided to first take x-rays to rule out injuries, blood tests to rule out infections, and scans to rule out other diseases. That all took months before they could confirm she had JIA so treatment could begin. Despite this, we consider her to be one of the lucky ones as diagnosis can sometimes take even longer."

For others, they may not be diagnosed until their symptoms become severe. In type 1 diabetes, 22% of children and young people are diagnosed in diabetic ketoacidosis: a dangerous and life-threatening complication.

Now imagine trying to obtain a second ­– or even a third – separate autoimmune diagnosis. For roughly a quarter of people living with an autoimmune condition, this is a reality. But this isn’t widely appreciated, and the reasons behind why this happens are still not fully understood. As Rebekah, who lives with type 1 diabetes, hypothyroidism and vitiligo, explains, “I had no idea that having one autoimmune condition makes you more at risk of getting others”.

These numbers show the scale of autoimmunity, but they also highlight a huge opportunity to improve the lives of the millions of people affected. Although autoimmune conditions affect different parts of the body, we know they are connected. Understanding that connection may help with improving diagnosis and developing better, targeted therapies.

Investing in connected autoimmune research

At Connect Immune Research, we believe that research into shared mechanisms and pathways in autoimmunity will not only improve our understanding but will also help generate new treatments faster. Since its launch, Connect Immune Research has supported 11 research projects and 2 laboratory exchange placements in the field of autoimmunity.

One project, awarded to Professor Lucy Walker, and funded in partnership with the Lorna and Yuti Chernajovsky Biomedical Research Foundation, focused on a specific type of immune cells, called follicular helper T cells. Targeting this immune cell type early in the development of autoimmunity could offer a new way to prevent the immune system from launching its attack.  By understanding and targeting the underlying mechanisms that drive autoimmunity, this approach aims to halt the development of autoimmune conditions in their tracks. Recognising the promise of this work, the Lorna and Yuti Chernajovsky Biomedical Research Foundation awarded further funding to allow the team to continue this work.

A second project, led by Dr Trinidad Montero-Melendez, also secured additional funding from the Lorna and Yuti Chernajovsky Biomedical Research Foundation. This project focused on improving a therapy that is currently available for several autoimmune conditions, including rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis, to lessen its side effects whilst preserving its clinical effectiveness.

How to get involved

If your organisation has an interest in this area and would like to learn more please contact [email protected], or visit Breakthrough T1D UK’s Connect Immune Research webpages.