Professor Ann Morgan, Professor of Rheumatology at the NIHR Leeds BRC, has played a key role in a ground-breaking study on large-vessel vasculitis (LVV), which was led by the NIHR Imperial BRC in collaboration with the NIHR Leeds and Oxford Biomedical Research Centres. This significant research sheds new light on the shared biology of two major forms of LVV, giant cell arteritis (GCA) and Takayasu arteritis (TAK), offering insights into potential new treatment and diagnostic approaches.
Large-vessel vasculitis (LVV) is a group of diseases that cause inflammation in arteries, leading to complications like sight loss, stroke, and aortic aneurysms. It is most commonly caused by giant cell arteritis (GCA) or Takayasu arteritis (TAK), which were previously considered separate conditions. However, new research suggests these diseases may have overlapping biology, which could impact treatment approaches.
The recent study published in Arthritis and Rheumatology used proteomic technologies to analyse blood protein levels in nearly 300 patients with GCA or TAK, as well as unaffected individuals. The findings revealed that the protein profiles in GCA and TAK were remarkably similar, suggesting significant overlap in the diseases’ biology. The study highlighted the roles of macrophages and structural artery cells in the progression of LVV and their potential as targets for treatment.
In addition, the research team identified several proteins that could improve the accuracy of blood tests for monitoring disease activity in TAK. By combining these proteins into multi-protein signatures, they demonstrated significantly better diagnostic accuracy compared to current single-protein tests, offering potential benefits in diagnosing and monitoring LVV.
Professor Morgan expressed her optimism about the potential impact of the study: “We are extremely encouraged by these early results, which could pave the way for the development of more accurate and reliable blood tests for diagnosing and monitoring large-vessel vasculitis. We are hopeful that these advances will eventually lead to the introduction of new diagnostic tools in the NHS, improving patient care and enabling earlier, more targeted treatments.”
This research was funded by the MRC TARGET Partnership, with collaboration from the Imperial, Leeds, and Oxford NIHR Biomedical Research Centres with additional funding from NIHR, Vasculitis UK, the Medical Research Foundation and UKRI.
These findings offer new hope for more effective treatments and improved diagnostic tools for patients with LVV.