Characterisation of IL-23-producing cells in patients with spondyloarthritis

This project is part of ongoing research on the autoimmune disorder ankylosing spondylitis, which is part of a group of inflammatory disorders termed spondyloarthritis. This disorder affects 200,000 people in the UK, causing symptoms including inflammatory back pain and colitis. Nevertheless, a treatment is yet to be discovered. This project is aiming to investigate the potential involvement of the protein IL-23 by different cells of the immune system in the pathophysiology of ankylosing spondylitis. It is thought that intestinal inflammation is linked with the pathogenesis of ankylosing spondylitis, which is in turn linked with IL-23.