Research scientists begin investigation into multifactorial causes of arthritis

The following is an excerpt from a speech given by Dr Alen Rosenberg at a Press Conference at the University of Saskatchewan on June 27, 2005. Dr Rosenberg, a pediatric rheumatologist and a member of the Institute of Child and Adult Arthritis Research (ICAARe) said the Institute’s first research iniative will be to examine the Childhood Antecedents of Adult Rheumatic Diseases.

In recent years in particular there has been remarkable progress in understanding arthritis. Diagnoses are made earlier and with greater precision and new therapeutic strategies do offer more hope. Innovative and exciting research is emerging. Still, however, we are so fundamentally far away from knowing the causes and mechanisms of most rheumatic diseases and being able to manage afflicted patients as effectively and safely as we desire. We have almost no insight into effective prevention strategies.

But now we can be optimistic that with collaborative efforts, armed with astounding new technology and inspired by the patients we serve we can and will achieve dramatic progress much sooner than most might imagine.

There is a prevailing view that arthritis and associated diseases do not each have a single cause. Their causes, it is generally believed, are multifactorial – many different factors – genetics, environmental, psychological, social factors – many different factors combine to induce disease and influence outcomes. That notion – that these diseases are a consequence of multiple factors – is a notion that is frequently espoused, generally accepted but seldom effectively studied. Such studies that try to assess the combination of multiple factors are difficult to design and implement, expensive and require collaboration amongst scientists from a wide variety of disciplines. But as difficult as that process might be we, the research team at the University of Saskatchewan, believe it is absolutely essential to undertake such studies if we are to improve diagnosing, managing and preventing rheumatic diseases. We have assembled an extraordinary team of collaborators from more than a dozen different disciplines to study factors that together combine to produce arthritis – this highly innovative research program that includes national and international collaborators will provide unprecedented insight into disease causes and mechanisms and guide development of new treatments and prevention strategies.