Alopecia UK has joined the Connect Immune Research initiative, alongside founding members JDRF, MS Society, Versus Arthritis, and supporting partner the British Society for Immunology.
The Connect Immune Research initiative brings together researchers from across these autoimmune conditions to uncover the common threads in their work – meaning greater efficiency and hopefully new treatments, faster.
As well as accelerating research into new treatments for millions of people, the approach could also dramatically reduce costs. As a result, member charities believe this innovative approach could be key to helping the medical research sector adapt to the impact of the COVID-19 crisis.
An estimated four million people in the UK live with an autoimmune condition – equivalent to more than six per cent of the population. This includes 400,000 people with Type 1 diabetes, over 130,000 living with multiple sclerosis (MS), over 400,000 with rheumatoid arthritis and over 100,000 with alopecia areata – an autoimmune condition that causes hair to fall out.
https://jdrf.org.uk/connect-immune-research/