Around 10 million people in the UK live with osteoarthritis (OA), yet people experience the condition in different ways that many clinical tests fail to capture.
The SOLVE consortium (Stratification of Osteoarthritis to Promote Living Well and Treatment Effectiveness) aims to identify factors that explain why treatments fail to show effectiveness in clinical trials. This information should help to match treatments to individuals to improve their quality of life. The consortium is being led by the University of Leeds and Keele University, and is enabled by £3 million in funding from Arthritis UK.
The SOLVE consortium will focus on four key areas to unravel the variability seen in individuals with osteoarthritis:
- Advanced technologies to study tissue samples and joint imaging
- The impact of life events such as menopause and joint injuries on the risk of osteoarthritis
- The impact of social factors such as income and education on treatment access and acceptability
- Generation of a predictive tool, using all of the above, to inform NHS healthcare professionals
Tonia Vincent, Kennedy Trust Maini Feldmann Professor of Translational Musculoskeletal Science, is co-leading the workstream that will use molecular profiling and advanced imaging approaches to understand better the mechanisms driving disease in different patients. She said: ‘We are excited to be part of SOLVE, and to have this opportunity to work with a team of exceptional OA researchers across the UK to tackle this important topic.’
Dr Philippa Nicolson, Senior Research Fellow, is co-leading the workstream on exercise and social determinants of health. Her team will investigate how factors such as income, education and access to services influence people’s ability to engage with and benefit from exercise, which remains a core treatment for OA. The research will support the development of more personalised and inclusive exercise programmes for people living with the condition.
The consortium will combine expertise from the universities of Edinburgh, Imperial College London, Keele, Leeds, Nottingham and Southampton, alongside healthcare professionals and people with lived experience of OA.
Patient involvement will be central to the programme, helping to ensure that future treatments and interventions better reflect the needs and experiences of those living with osteoarthritis.
Professor Lucy Donaldson, Director of Research at Arthritis UK, said: ‘We are proud to fund research that is operating at the forefront of medical advancements, that listens to patient voices and is committed to improving the very limited number of treatment options available.
‘SOLVE will not only improve outcomes for those who face daily challenges from managing a complex and often-debilitating condition, but also improve knowledge amongst healthcare professionals, and inform on wider Government MSK policy, truly driving positive change.’