Bone and Joint Diseases
Researchers at TRI are investigating bone and joint diseases including rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis and osteoarthritis.
Rheumatoid Arthritis
UQ Professor Ranjeny Thomas and her team have developed a vaccine therapy currently undergoing clinical trials for rheumatoid arthritis. The therapy could potentially assist with treatments for other autoimmune diseases such as type 1 diabetes and multiple sclerosis. the study of autoimmune disease and restoration of tolerance.Professor Thomas is founder and a director of the spin-off company based at TRI, Dendright, which is developing vaccines to suppress autoimmune diseases.
Ankylosing Spondylitis
A world leader in genetics and functional genomics, Professor Matt Brown has identified over a hundred genes involved in common diseases including ankylosing spondylitis, osteoporosis and rheumatoid arthritis, amongst other diseases. Prof Brown and his team have developed DNA sequencing methodology to identify mutations causing single gene diseases, and using this have identified several new mutations causing human skeletal disorders which affect approximately 1% of Australians.
Osteoporosis
UQ's Dr John Kemp and Professor David Evans are working on a project to identify drug targets for patients with osteoporosis. They have recently published more than 500 genetic markers which determine bone mineral density, one of the strongest risk factors for osteoporosis. It is hoped that this 'atlas' of genetic markers may lead to development of treatments to improve bone density and reduce risk of fracture. Read more.
Mater's Associate Professor Allison Pettit is currently working on on new and improved strategies to maintain peak bone health, rebuild fragile skeletons and/or reduce the impact of fracture in patients with osteoporosis or osteopenia. Read more.
