NZ Gout Research Reaching International Standards

The Arthritis New Zealand Research Fund has approved a three year grant for a PhD scholarship amounting to $132,500 to the Malaghan Institute to undertake research on Gout.

The scholarship, to be supervised by Dr Jacquie Harper, will seek to provide insight into the direct impact of high uric acid levels (hyperuricaemia) on inflammation and chronic bone erosion. This has the potential to identify markers for the progression of gout.

Dr Tony Merriman of Otago University said that this was one of the most original research topics he had seen and it was likely to yield internationally significant data. “Dr Harper is establishing herself as a gout researcher of international repute.”

As Head of the Arthritis and Inflammation Group at the Malaghan Institute, Dr Harper's main research interests lie in the role of innate immune cells in driving arthritic diseases and the development of novel anti-inflammatory treatments for improved disease management. This project builds on earlier work from the team including a recently completed clinical study investigating the inflammatory response of immune cells from gouty and non-gouty individuals, which was also partly funded by an earlier Arthritis New Zealand research grant.

“The grant from Arthritis New Zealand provides us with the exciting opportunity to take our clinical research into gouty inflammation to the next level,” says Dr Harper.

The Malaghan Institute is New Zealand’s leading independent biomedical research facility and focuses on finding cures for arthritis, cancer, asthma, multiple sclerosis and infectious disease, and is located at Wellington’s Victoria University campus.

Chief Executive of Arthritis New Zealand, Ms Sandra Kirby says, “Arthritis New Zealand takes pride in supporting research from New Zealand. Gout is the third most common form of arthritis in New Zealand. The developments in diagnosis and treatment will benefit thousands of New Zealanders who suffer from this painful condition.”

Gout is an extremely painful and recurring form of inflammatory arthritis. It mainly affects men and is one of the most common forms of arthritis.