BAxSIC, the Leeds Teaching Hospitals sponsored study supported by NIHR Biomedical Research Centre: Leeds, has reached a major milestone, successfully completing recruitment across 30 sites throughout the UK and achieving its recruitment target with 538 participants enrolled.
BAxSIC is a trial to provide real-world data on the impact of diagnostic delay on work participation and other outcomes in people affected with axial Spondyloarthritis in the UK. It is supported by the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre: Leeds’ Musculoskeletal theme where researchers develop early-phase research to aid the prevention of psoriatic arthritis.
As of 9 June 2026, recruitment has closed at all participating centres, with the exception of the lead site, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.
Alongside this achievement, the study has made a significant contribution to research development by supporting 10 doctors through the NIHR Associate Principal Investigator (PI) training programme during the recruitment phase across many sites of the study.
This accomplishment reflects the dedication and collaboration of research teams across the country and highlights the effective coordination provided by the team at Chapel Allerton Hospital within the Spondyloarthritis portfolio. The study is led by Prof Marzo-Ortega, consultant rheumatologist at Leeds Teaching Hospitals, Professor at University of Leeds and co-lead on the prevention of psoriatic arthritis for the NIHR BRC: Leeds’ Musculoskeletal Disease theme.
The continued engagement across participating sites place the study in a strong position for the next phase. The team looks forward to maintaining momentum and delivering complete follow-up data through to 2029 and beyond.
Thank you to all participants, investigators, research staff, our hosted NIHR infrastructure and partner sites whose commitment has made this progress possible.
A special thank you to Sarah Hall, Research Governance Manager at Leeds Teaching Hospitals for her support.