Dr Chrissy Bolton, MRC Clinical Research Training Fellow and a valued member of the TRICIA team, was recently recognised as a runner-up in a prestigious research image competition. The competition, open to staff from Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) and its affiliated institutes—the NIHR GOSH Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) and the UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health (UCL GOS ICH)—invited researchers to capture ‘a moment of discovery’ in their work.
This initiative also extended to other paediatric hospitals across the UK, including Alder Hey, Birmingham, and Sheffield, as part of the NIHR GOSH BRC Paediatric Excellence Initiative. From numerous entries, 11 shortlisted images and GIFs were reviewed by three independent panels: the GOSH Young People’s Advisory Group for Research (YPAG), NIHR GOSH BRC stakeholders, and GOSH staff networks. These images highlighted the groundbreaking research conducted across GOSH and its partner institutions, all striving to improve treatments for rare and complex childhood conditions.
Finalists were selected based on their impact and scientific significance, with the overall winner decided through a public vote on social media.
Capturing Childhood Arthritis: Chrissy Bolton’s Image
Dr Bolton’s submitted image provides a striking visual of the cellular landscape within the knee joint of a four-year-old child with arthritis.
• Blood vessels, shown in red, infiltrate the inflamed joint, signalling disease progression and attracting immune cells that drive tissue damage.
• The outer layers, depicted in yellow and pink, typically form a thin protective barrier but thicken as the joint reacts to ongoing inflammation.
• The green regions represent scar tissue, which contributes to joint stiffness and restricted movement.
In the UK, inflammatory arthritis affects approximately 1 in 1,000 children, most commonly impacting large jointssuch as the knees. Despite advancements in treatment, many children continue to experience persistent disease activity for over a decade. Historically, most arthritis research has focused on adults, leaving significant gaps in our understanding of how chronic inflammation develops in children’s immune systems.
This image serves as a powerful reminder of why paediatric-specific research is essential. Parents have been key advocates, demanding that their children benefit from the same cutting-edge scientific advancements as adults. Their voices underscore the urgent need for more research into childhood arthritis, ensuring better treatments and improved outcomes for young patients.
