Exciting research advance announced this week

Researchers funded by the Arthritis Society have made an exciting discovery that could lead to reducing inflammation in people with arthritis. 

Dr. Éric Boilard and PhD student Etienne Doré of Université Laval, along with international colleagues, have discovered that a protein naturally present in the gut acts on the microbiota and causes the formation of molecules that exacerbate the symptoms of chronic inflammatory disease such as arthritis.    

“Blocking the bacterial proinflammatory lipids produced in the gut by this protein could reduce symptoms in people with systemic inflammatory diseases,” says Dr. Boilard.  

The details of the finding were published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation – Insight.

Read the full story.

“We are excited to be funding ongoing research in such an important area – unraveling the unknowns linking gut health, inflammation and arthritis.” said Dr. Siân Bevan, Chief Science Officer at the Arthritis Society. “Our push to extinguish the fire of arthritis means investing in innovative projects like these that will improve the lives of the six million Canadians living with arthritis.” 

Donor dollars enable the Arthritis Society to be Canada’s largest charitable funder of cutting-edge arthritis research. We are proud to have supported Dr. Boilard in the past as a young investigator, helping establish a solid foundation for the years to come. Trainee Etienne Doré, the lead author of this study, was also supported by an Arthritis Society Graduate PhD Salary Award of $31,500 over three years, matched by funds from Fonds de recherche du Québec, while performing this challenging and impactful research. 

More information about the Arthritis Society’s investment in research. 

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