The Future of Immunology Shaping the Future of Immunological Research in the UK Together
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The Future of Immunology Shaping the future of immunological research in the UK together #futureofimmunology Contents 2 Foreword 3 70 years of research in immunology 5 Campaigning for those affected by inflammatory conditions 6 70 years of immunology – timeline 8 Living with an immune-mediated inflammatory condition 9 Scientific progress in the treatment of psoriasis 10 Translating immunological research into patient benefit 11 A joint vision for the future of immunology 12 Shaping the future of immunological research in the UK Partnering together – a call to action organisations AbbVie BioIndustry Association AbbVie is a global, research and Established over 25 years ago at the infancy of development-based biopharmaceutical biotechnology, the BIA is the trade association company committed to developing for innovative enterprises involved in UK innovative advanced therapies for some bioscience. Members include emerging and of the world’s most complex and critical more established bioscience companies; conditions. The company’s mission is to pharmaceutical companies; academic, research use its expertise, dedicated people and and philanthropic organisations; and service unique approach to innovation to markedly providers to the bioscience sector. The BIA improve treatments across four primary represents the interests of its members therapeutic areas: immunology, oncology, to a broad section of stakeholders, from virology and neuroscience. In more than 75 government and regulators to patient groups countries, AbbVie employees are working and the media. Our goal is to secure the UK’s every day to advance health solutions for position as a global hub and as the best location people around the world. for innovative research and commercialisation, enabling our world-leading research base to deliver healthcare solutions that can truly make a difference to people’s lives. British Society for Immunology National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society The British Society for Immunology is the leading UK NRAS aims to provide a voice to people membership organisation working with scientists and affected by Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) and clinicians from academia, industry and healthcare to juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) across forward immunology research and application around the UK. Founded in 2001, NRAS is the only the world. Our friendly, accessible community of over UK charity devoted specifically to RA, and 3,500 immunologists gives us a powerful voice to launched a service for families, children, advocate for immunological science and health for the young people and adults affected by JIA benefit of society. We achieve our mission to promote in 2014. excellence in immunological research, scholarship and The charity’s mission includes: clinical practice to improve human and animal health by: • Support everyone living with the impact • Working with our members to support current of RA and JIA at the start and at every and future generations of immunologists stage of their journey • Sharing our passion for immunology through • Inform – be their first choice for reliable meetings, publications and the media information • Engaging with the public and those working • Empower all to have a voice and take in the research and health environments control of their RA or JIA • Working with partners to build on common interests 1 Foreword The therapeutic dividend of many decades of fundamental immunological research is now being realised at an astonishing pace, touching every aspect of health and wellbeing. The past 70 years have witnessed an accelerating journey of discovery into the workings of the immune system, revolutionising our understanding of the detection of cellular stress and the presence of foreign invaders, the diversity of the antigen receptors on T and B cells, and the elegant molecular anatomy of MHC-restricted peptide recognition. At the same time, the advent of multiple molecular, biochemical and cell imaging techniques have created the possibility of more targeted interventions to direct immune responses in different directions. Investigations into the brain-body interface and the influence of the microbiome are yielding new insights and will continue to do so over the next decade. When I was a PhD student, neuro-immuno- psychiatry was regarded as a dead-end of research. Now, immune-psychiatry is developing into a mature field: we are continuously discovering more around systemic inflammation’s association with depression and the relationship between the mind and vascular inflammation. Elsewhere, we have learned that the microbiome, and the host’s response to it, appear to influence significantly immune and inflammatory responses. This remarkable accumulation of insights and discoveries has paved the way for a whole new wave of “advanced therapeutics” - antibodies, recombinant proteins, cells or gene-modified cells that either inhibit unwanted immune responses to self, allergens, or transplant antigens, or amplify immunity against cancer cells that the immune system is otherwise inclined to ignore. In light of all this progress, and the opportunities that the future holds for patient benefit across a wide spectrum of diseases, it is essential that the UK continues to invest in the people and platforms that drive translation into the clinic and that we take all possible steps to strengthen the biotech sector that has such an important role to play in commercialising novel therapies. We have developed the infrastructure for experimental medicine that is arguably the best in the world. Much of this has been made possible by the National Institute of Health Research, along with the major charities such as the British Society for Immunology, the Wellcome Trust and the Medical Research Council. Now is the moment to capitalise on this era of unprecedented opportunity to secure our position as a world leader in advanced therapeutics. This ambition is now within our grasp. Professor Sir Robert Lechler PMedSci President, The Academy of Medical Sciences Vice Principal (Health), King’s College London 2 70 years of research in immunology Immune-mediated inflammatory diseases, such as lupus, psoriasis, Crohn’s disease or rheumatoid arthritis, are characterised by common inflammatory pathways which lead to inflammation, and which may result from, or be triggered by, a dysregulation of the normal immune response. This means that the immune systems that usually attack only unwelcome invaders – like bacteria or viruses – for reasons not yet fully understood, attack healthy tissue, causing inflammation, pain and damage in different parts of the body, including an person’s eyes, joints, gut, and skin. Over the past 70 years the UK’s outstanding academic institutions and dynamic life sciences industry have led the field in immunological research. Not only has the UK provided its brightest minds with the support and funding they need to push the boundaries of medical knowledge, it has also consistently ensured that the fruits of their work reach and improve the lives of patients. This has led to scientific breakthroughs in the treatment of immune-mediated inflammatory diseases, helping the thousands of people in the UK and millions worldwide affected by these conditions to lead healthier and more active lives. Lupus Immune-mediated inflammatory diseases in the UK • Lupus is a chronic, often severe autoimmune rheumatic disease1 Psoriasis • It is considered a relatively rare disease • An estimated 1.8million people in the – diagnosed nearly UK live with psoriasis – that is between 9 times more in women 2% and 3% of the population2 than in men (128 versus 15 per 100,000)1 • It is more than just a skin condition, and can affect people physically 1.8 • People are usually and psychologically2 million diagnosed under the age of 50 and it is • It can start at any age but most often in the considered to have a develops in adults under 35 years old, UK genetic predisposition and affects men and women equally2 with cases of lupus clustering in families1 3 Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) • Over 400,000 people across the UK live with RA3 • It is not associated with aging and can affect people at any age3 • 31,000 new cases are diagnosed each year – that’s more than three people every hour3 • Women are three times as likely as men over to have RA3 400,000 • £560 million annual cost to the NHS and £4.8bn total cost to the UK economy, including 3x more cost of treatment, care and lost productivity3 women Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) • IBD, which includes Crohn’s disease and Ulcerative Colitis, affects approximately affects approximately 300,000 people in the UK4 300,000 • Up to a third of Crohn’s diagnoses are in teenagers and young adults and the median age for diagnosis of Ulcerative Colitis is 11.7 years4 • Symptoms can be managed to deliver periods of remission but flare ups can require admission4 social and • The nature of the condition means that it can have psychological a significant social and psychological impact4 impact 1 Lupus UK, Epidemiology of Lupus, https://www.lupusuk.org.uk/medical/gp-guide/introduction-to-lupus/epidemiology-of-lupus/ 2 Psoriasis Association, About Psoriasis, https://www.psoriasis-association.org.uk/psoriasis-and-treatments/ 3 NRAS, What is RA?, https://www.nras.org.uk/what-is-ra-article 4 Crohn’s & Colitis UK, About Inflamatory Bowel Disease, https://www.crohnsandcolitis.org.uk/about-inflammatory-bowel-disease 4 Campaigning for those affected by inflammatory conditions As Chair of the APPG on Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), it has been a privilege to support and witness the work of many dedicated campaigners who have achieved significant improvements for people living with IBD and other immune-mediated inflammatory diseases. I’m proud to say the IBD care standards which have been jointly developed by the clinical and patient communities, have been largely adopted as NICE guidance and are helping to set a benchmark for evidence-led, patient-centred practice. Thanks to the work of patient groups, campaigners and parliamentary colleagues, we are seeing a drive to improve services and reduce variation for IBD patients across the NHS.