Researchers at University College London and Moorfields Eye Hospital are publishing a story in the journal Nature that challenges current thinking on what causes uveitis – a painful, sight-threatening eye condition that affects some children with arthritis.
This breakthrough was supported by a Fight for Sight PhD studentship.
What is uveitis?
Uveitis often develops alongside juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), the most common form of arthritis in children.
Around one in three children with JIA will also develop uveitis.
The condition can be difficult to spot, as it often causes no early symptoms – yet up to a third of affected children still experience permanent vision loss by adulthood. We’ve previously featured Elizabeth’s story of living with JIA and the related sight loss, which took her vision in her thirties.
Although some treatments are available today for the condition, up to a third of affected children still experience some degree of permanent vision loss by the time they reach adulthood.
In the webinar below, the veteran fundraiser learned more about uveitis from Dr Lola Solebo, another of the report’s authors.
How will this study advance our understanding of uveitis?
Until now, uveitis was thought to be driven mainly by T cells, a type of immune cell. This study shows that B cells – immune cells that produce antibodies – also play a major role.
By analysing blood samples alongside rare eye tissue samples from children with uveitis, the team directly compared events in the bloodstream and within the inflamed eye.
This shift in understanding challenges long-held assumptions – and opens new possibilities for treatment.
Fight for Sight’s role
Senior author Dr Lizzy Rosser was supported by a Fight for Sight PhD studentship.
“We were able to study rare samples taken directly from children’s eyes, as well as carefully preserved historical samples,” said Dr Rosser.
“That gave us an unprecedented view of the immune cells driving this disease.”
Opening the door to potential new treatments for uveitis
Current treatments mainly target T cells.
Understanding the role of B cells means existing therapies used in other autoimmune diseases could one day be adapted for children with uveitis – following careful clinical trials.
As first author Dr Bethany Jebson explains:
“Our findings show that uveitis isn’t driven by just one type of immune cell. That changes how we think about treating it.”
An example of patient-driven research
Dr Ameenat Lola Solebo, another author of the study and a child ophthalmologist, comments,
“This work is a great example of the power of patient-driven research. It uses samples from a new biobank (called ‘CHOIR’), which was inspired by and named by our patients.”
Dr Rosser added, “The pathway targeted in this study is already being explored in adults with autoimmune diseases. Following careful clinical trials, we hope that existing treatments could one day be adapted or tested for this sight-threatening condition.
“Our next steps are to understand if we can find similar pathways at play in children with eye disease who do not have arthritis, as this group is underrepresented in research studies.”
Save Sight. Change Lives.
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