Felix Bijoy

• BSc (Hons) Pharmacology
• Investigating chronic inflammation as a driver of pain following total knee replacement

Total knee replacement (TKR) for arthritis is a vital operation (three million annually worldwide) to reduce knee joint pain, but there is pain present in 20% (>600,000) patients. Despite better surgical techniques, outcomes have not improved since 1980. Hence, there is an urgency to discover treatments as most cases are left unexplained, leaving the patient with relentless pain.

We found patients in pain repeating surgery due to scarring that causes reduced knee movement and inflammation. Several proteins, targetable by function interfering medications that reduce inflammation and pain were found. This research determines whether patients with an unidentifiable cause of pain, have knee inflammation. To achieve this, we analyse the fluid within TKR as a source of information on knee inflammation.

If inflammation is found within molecules associated with pain, then new pain and inflammation dampening knee injections can provide patients with a normal life, while avoiding further expensive surgery.

Funding source: Newcastle University

Project supervisor: Dr Nicholas Kalson