TEMPO
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Exploiting leading edge 7 Tesla MRI brain imaging to decipher Filgotinib’s mode of analgesic action in rheumatoid arthritis
IRAS ID
321571
Contact name
Neil Basu
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
The revolution in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treatments has transformed patient outcomes. Yet most patients continue to experience life disabling pain. This problem represents one of the greatest challenges to the care of patients with RA. One new type of RA drug (Janus kinase inhibitors) appears to provide superior and more rapid pain improvements in comparison to other RA drugs. However, the reasons for these advantages are not fully understood.
We believe that RA pain has multiple causes, including brain abnormalities, and that these drugs exact some of their timely pain alleviating effect via the brain.
The aim of this study is to use ultra-high resolution Magnetic Resonance Imaging to evaluate the pain relieving effects of Filgotinib (a Janus Kinase inhibitor) on the brain in RA in the short and medium term. Patients with moderate to severe active RA who have been prescribed Filgotinib as part of standard care will be assessed at baseline and 2, 4 and 12 weeks after starting treatment. The assessments will include a brain scan which will be used to evaluate alterations of the brain which are already known to relate to pain in other clinical conditions.
If we find that these drugs reduce pain via the brain, it will inform the development of even better pain relieving drugs in the future.
REC name
London - Brent Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
23/PR/0738
Date of REC Opinion
3 Aug 2023
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion