Congratulations to Dr. Chrissy Bolton, an MRC Clinical Research Training Fellow and paediatric doctor, on her recent publication in Nature Reviews Rheumatology titled “All fibroblasts are equal, but some are more equal than others.”
Dr. Bolton graduated from the University of Cambridge and UCL, earning national and university prizes in Paediatric Health, Endocrinology, Pain Medicine, Cardiology, and Ethics. She has contributed to pioneering studies on minimally invasive tissue biopsies in children with arthritis, collaborating with Professors Lucy Wedderburn and Adam Croft. Her research focuses on understanding inflammation persistence in juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA).
In her recent article, Dr. Bolton explores how epigenetic programming of synovial fibroblasts—the cells lining the joints—affects their response to inflammation. This research sheds light on why different joints may exhibit varying patterns of involvement and responses to treatment in arthritis.
This insight is significant for TRICIA’s mission to integrate synovial tissue analysis into clinical practice for JIA. Understanding the diverse behaviours of synovial fibroblasts can lead to more targeted and effective treatments for young patients with arthritis.
Read the full article >> Bolton, C., Croft, A.P. All fibroblasts are equal, but some are more equal than others. Nat Rev Rheumatol (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41584-024-01097-6
