WHERE WERE YOU BEFORE RECEIVING THIS AWARD?
Prior to receiving this award I was a medical trainee in rheumatology and general medicine. During the course of my medical training I had conducted audits and presented their results at national rheumatology conferences. However, prior to this award, due to clinical commitments I hadn’t had an opportunity to focus primarily on research in an area of specialist interest to me and this award afforded me that opportunity.
YOUR RESEARCH PROJECT IN LAY TERMS
Psoriasis is a chronic skin disease which causes itchy, scaly patches. Up to 40% of patients with psoriasis go on to develop psoriatic arthritis, an inflammatory arthritis that can lead to significant joint damage and loss of joint function. The goal of this project was to identify biomarkers, either proteins found in the blood, genes or clinical characteristics, capable of identifying which patients with psoriasis were likely to develop psoriatic arthritis. By identifying patients with psoriasis at high risk of developing psoriatic artritis, the ultimate aim would be to prevent the development of psoriatic arthritis in these high risk patients.
HOW HAS ISSF HELPED YOUR RESEARCH CAREER?
This award helped to allow me to focus on clinical research in an area of medicine that is of particular interest to me. It enabled me to acquire the skills and experience necessary for taking a significant research project from start to finish. Both the award itself and the subsequent outputs from this research have been crucial in my successful application for my current role.
TANGIBLE OUTPUTS AS A RESULT OF RECEIVING THE AWARD
Irish Society of Rheumatology Rheumatology Patient Initiative Fund (RPIF) award 2017 (¤25,000)
Recipient of GRAPPA Pilot Research Grant 2017 ($25,000)
Co-authored book chapter on Psoriatic Arthritis in Firestein & Kelley’s Textbook of Rheumatology 11th ed. Elsevier: 2020
Periodical Article: Psoriatic arthritis – considerations in primary care. GP Ireland. 2018
Journal Articles & Abstracts
- Magee C, Jethwa H, FitzGerald O, Jadon DR. Biomarkers predictive of treatment response in psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis: a systematic review. Therapeutic Advances in Musculoskeletal Disease. 2021 May 8 Accepted for publication
- Jadon DR, Chandran V, Ogdie A, Pennington SR, Stober C, Gladman DD, de Wit M, O’Sullivan D, Mease P, Armstrong AW, Duffin KC, Magee C, Helliwell P, Ritchlin CT, FitzGerald O. Proceedings of the 2018 GRAPPA Collaborative Research Network Meeting. The Journal of Rheumatology Supplement. 2019 Jun 1;95:11-9
- Magee C, Pu Y, Kwasnik A, Ardle AM, Hernandez B, Farkas F, Ikumi N, Szentpetery A, Shakerdi L, Gallagher P, Kirby B. Protein biomarkers to differentiate psoriatic arthritis from psoriasis. Ann Rheum Dis. 2019 Jun 78 – Suppl 2
- De Marco G, McGonagle D, Mathieson HR, Merashli M, Magee, C, FitzGerald O, Goodfield M, Marzo-Ortega H. Combined inhibition of tumour necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-12/23 for long-standing, refractory psoriatic disease: a differential role for cytokine pathways?. Rheumatology. 2018 Nov 1;57(11):2053-5
- Magee C, FitzGerald O, Farkas F, Ikumi N, Gallagher P, Szentpetery A, Kirby B. Smoking Status in Patients with Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis: An Irish Perspective. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2018 Sep 1 (Vol. 70)
- Magee C, Farkas F, Ikumi N, Szentpetery A, Gallagher P, Kirby B, Fitzgerald O. Description of musculoskeletal symptoms in a cohort of patients with psoriasis. Ann Rheum Dis. 2018 Jun 77 – Suppl 2.
WHAT DID THE AWARD MEAN TO YOU PERSONALLY?
On a personal level It was very satisfying to receive such a prestigious award at a relatively early point in my research career. Medical trainees are required to spend a lot of their time studying for exams, performing audits, completing courses to maintain their skills and certifications and at times it can feel thankless. To me receiving this award was a validation of a lot of that time and effort and a recognition that I, together with my advisors, had developed a quality research proposal.