NASS joins research network looking at autoimmune conditions

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NASS  is the newest member of the innovative autoimmune research initiative, Connect.

Established in 2018, Connect Immune Research is a collaborative initiative that brings together charities to explore links between autoimmune conditions. The inclusion of NASS in this partnership complements the expertise of existing members, and further highlights the interconnected nature of autoimmune conditions, where:

  • 7% of people living with axial SA developing inflammatory bowel disease, such as Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis.
  • 9% of people living with axial SpA developing psoriasis.
  • With around 25% of people with axial SpA experiencing at least one episode of uveitis (iritis).

Dr Dale Webb, CEO at NASS said “We are delighted to join the Connect Immune Research partnership and support the work being done. With such a strong link between axial SpA and other autoimmune conditions we want to be able to provide meaningful contributions to this important area of work”.

Rachel Connor, Director of Research Partnerships at Breakthrough T1D UK said: “We’re excited to welcome NASS as the newest member of the Connect Immune Research partnership. We know that many people living with axial SpA also live with other autoimmune conditions, which is why collaboration across conditions, breaking down research silos is so important. By bringing together complementary expertise across a wide range of autoimmune conditions, including axial SpA, we can better understand the shared mechanisms that drive them.”

About the Connect Immune Research partnership

Connect Immune Research (CIR) is a partnership that seeks to address the challenge of collaboration across disease-specific research silos. We want the scientific community to work together across autoimmune specialisms, to identify the common threads in their work and tackle multiple conditions at once. Understanding the similarities between different autoimmune conditions could help to transform lives, and may lead to new treatments, faster.

Connect Immune Research is currently made up of the following organizations:

You can read the CIR charter here which explains the vision, strategy and principles of the partnership. If you would like more information on the CIR partnership please contact connect@breakthrought1d.org.uk.