“UCARF Scholarship supports ground breaking research in rheumatoid arthritis”

Suat Dervish received a UCARF funding in 2008 and began his PhD with the Sutton Arthritis Research Laboratory - Institute of Bone and Joint Research within the Kolling Institute of Medical Research which is based at the Royal North Shore Hospital. His research is focused on explaining how a new safe treatment Activated Protein C (ACP); a protein that circulates in the body, can alter circulating blood cells that are known to affect the immune system in autoimmune diseases; particularly rheumatoid arthritis. To date, Suat has shown that this protein can modulate two specific types of blood cell, the monocyte and the lymphocyte, to reduce inflammation in arthritis.

Suat has presented his work at three national conferences and one international conference. Awards received during his PhD include an Australian Flow Cytometry Travel Grant to attend the 31st Australian Immunology Scientific Conference and the Best Poster award at the University of Sydney, RNSH and Kolling Scientific Research Meeting. In addition, his work has contributed to his supervisor, A/Prof Chris Jackson, being awarded a large National Health and Medical Research grant to explore the mechanisms underlying the actions of APC.
Suat’s research work is finding long term solutions for arthritis. It is a debilitating disease and there is no cure for rheumatoid arthritic but we can certainly reduce the symptoms.

Suat’s other interests when he is not in the laboratory is riding his motorcycle. “I didn’t know about the Ulysses till I attended their annual meeting. I was amazed by the turnout at this meeting. A year after I got my scholarship I got myself a motorcycle and it has become my passion too. I am fortunate to be affiliated with them and it is an honor to get the UCARF scholarship” he says. If you want to know more about Suat’s research work please write to him at sdervish@med.usyd.edu.au

Vicky Hatzis started her PhD at the Sutton Arthritis Laboratory in 2009 and in 2010 was awarded the UCARF scholarship. She attended the Ulysses Club’s AGM earlier in the year in Albany to receive her award.

Vicky’s research is in the relatively new and exciting area of “microparticles”. Microparticles are very small spherical structures that derive from cells, but are not true cells themselves. They range from 0.2 to 1 micrometer in diameter, whereas true cells are usually within the range of 5-25 micrometers. Microparticles ‘bud off’ from the cells outer surface membrane and hence contain many of the characteristics from the cell of origin’s outer surface. Many different cells have been shown to make these microparticles including blood and extracellular matrix (skin, bone) cells. In rheumatoid arthritic synovial fluid (the lubricant of the joint), the numbers of microparticles is greatly increased and these were found to originate from blood cells. Why this process occurs is unknown, however, it has been shown that microparticles can contribute to, if not cause, disease.

New approaches to understating and treating disease are required. Recently is has been shown that cells can be activated to produce microparticles with surface properties of interest.

Vicky’s work revolves around producing microparticles with anti-inflammatory properties, introduce them into an inflammatory arthritis model and test to see if an anti-inflammatory response is initiated. If this can be shown it could have a great impact on the direction of future therapies.

Vicky was awarded the UCARF scholarship at Albany and said, “I had a great experience in Albany. I was humbled and impressed to see the distance people had ridden on their motorcycles to attend this event. I am grateful for the scholarship and now that I have met the group behind it I am even more appreciative. I actually met a lot of individuals who have gone out and raised the funds that support my research work. Meeting them in a non clinical setting, some suffering from arthritis, seeing their passion for motorcycles and how it hinders their love of riding was great motivation for me”. You can contact Vicky to find out more about her research by writing to her at vicky.hatzis@sydney.edu.au