A private health provider has handed £10,000 to an academic and her team who are carrying out research into arthritis.

Circle Health Group has given the money to Professor Eleftheria Zeggini and her team, which won this year’s Research Highlight of the Year awards, an annual competition run by the charity Arthritis UK.

“Congratulations to Professor Eleftheria Zeggini and team on winning this year’s grant,” said Peter James, chief medical officer at Circle Health Group, said:

“As an organisation, Circle Health Group are committed to supporting the development of cutting-edge research that promises to deepen our understanding of conditions like arthritis. It’s a privilege to be sponsoring Arthritis UK’s Research Highlight of The Year awards and playing our part in supporting the charity’s work across the UK.”

This award scheme celebrates outstanding research during the year in the field of arthritis and the winner is chosen from a public vote.

Professor Zeggini’s research was titled ‘exploring the genetics of osteoarthritis’ and is the world’s largest osteoarthritis genetics study, involving data from nearly two million people. This has found more than 950 genetic links to osteoarthritis.

Professor Zeggini said: “Our findings on osteoarthritis genetics advance our understanding of the disease and lay the groundwork for developing more effective and personalized therapies that can transform osteoarthritis care."

Arthritis UK chief executive Deborah Alsina added: “It was a tough competition, and you can see a challenge for the public to choose a winner from the exceptionally high calibre of entries, all of which build on our ninety-year legacy of significant advancements in the understanding and treatment of arthritis.”

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