Brief plain language background
Inflammation occurs in response to infection, allergies, irritation, injury or trauma. But it can also happen in people who have an autoimmune condition where their immune system mistakenly starts to attack healthy tissues.
Inflammation in the lining of the eye (uveitis) and in the joints (arthritis) often develop together. For instance, up to 50% of those with spondyloarthritis and up to 30% with juvenile idiopathic arthritis go on to develop uveitis.
What problem/knowledge gap does it help address
Despite a strong clinical association between uveitis and arthritis, these diseases are usually studied separately, potentially hampering the discovery of new drugs to treat these co-existing conditions.
The team have analysed cells in inflamed eyes and joints, finding high levels of a protein made by immune cells called galectin-3.
Aim of the research project
To investigate whether galectin-3 regulates immune cell activity and whether inhibiting its production can reduce the severity of uveitis.
Key procedures/Objectives (in laymen terms)
- Identify how galectin-3 regulates immune cell function using available models.
- Determine the therapeutic potential of targeting galectin-3.
- Evaluate immune cells as mediators of galectin-3 in people with and without juvenile idiopathic arthritis induced uveitis.
Potential impact on people with sight loss
Understanding the mechanisms that promote disease progression and identifying a therapeutic target has the potential to prevent visual impairment in those with uveitis and arthritis-associated uveitis. As galectin-3 targeting drugs are already in use in clinical trials for other chronic conditions, if found to be effective in treating uveitis in this initial study, the timeline for use in patients could be shorter than the usual 10+ years of testing.