Arthritis Research UK Biomechanics and Bioengineering Centre

There are eight million sufferers of osteoarthritis in the UK alone and one percent of adults are affected by rheumatoid arthritis. The major burden to these patients is the pain, swelling and stiffness that occurs in their joints.

Cardiff University has been awarded £2.5M by the Arthritis Research UK to establish a Centre of Excellence in Biomechanics and Bioengineering. This is part of a £10M investment over the next decade to drive forward interdisciplinary research at Cardiff University to improve the treatment of patients with arthritis. Research labs are equipped with the most up-to-date facilities to address key questions of basic and clinical aspects of arthritis.

The President’s Research Scholars within the Arthritis Research UK Biomechanics and Bioengineering Centre will use cutting edge experience in biomechanics, engineering, bioscience, genetics and MRI to investigate how interactions between load, pain and inflammation contribute to arthritis. The Scholarships programme will involve close collaboration between academics in different Schools including biologists, physicists, engineers and healthcare specialists who are international leaders in their respective fields with substantial financial support won in peer-reviewed competitions.

The over-arching purpose of the President’s Scholarship programme is to produce the next generation non-clinical scientists armed with the necessary interdisciplinary skills to become world leaders in arthritis research. The PhD students will contribute to the aim of the Centre to make a step change in the treatment of arthritis patients over the next 5 years.