Research

Local research with an international impact

Since 1994, a team of some ten researchers, doctors, biologists, PhD students and laboratory staff has been conducting research with the goal of achieving a better understanding of rheumatic diseases and applying that understanding to patient care.

Their expertise has been recognised worldwide and they have established collaborations with other international research groups. Their findings are published regularly in the most prestigious scientific and medical journals.

The team’s research focuses on clinical studies involving patients, and on laboratory work, and the strength of their approach lies in their emphasis on teamwork and on a profound understanding of the diseases they study. Their clinical expertise ensures that results are applied rapidly and efficiently in the clinical setting. For example:

• Gout: the team’s groundbreaking research, carried out in collaboration with Professor Jürg Tschopp of the University of Lausanne, has revolutionised the treatment of a particular group of patients suffering from gout.

• Back pain: their novel approach to the management of low back pain has replaced treatments that were costly and often ineffective.

• Rheumatoid arthritis: their discovery of mechanisms of inflammation related to the coagulation system has led to the possibility of new therapies.