Working together to Connect Immune Research
We're continuing to build our exciting partnership with more and more charities to fund research into autoimmune conditions.
Connect Immune Research is a partnership that wants to understand how immune conditions are linked, bringing together 17 leading charities and organisations who focus on autoimmune conditions.
Together we’re funding research to help everyone living with an autoimmune condition.
Autoimmune conditions in the UK
Around six million people in the UK have an autoimmune condition. That's equivalent to more than six per cent of the population – but they're currently incurable. This includes
- around 150,000 people living with MS
- around 1.3 million people living with psoriasis
- around 400,000 people living with type 1 diabetes
- around 400,000 are living with rheumatoid arthritis
In all autoimmune conditions, our immune systems attack healthy cells. Up to a third of people living with an autoimmune condition live with more than one, which can lead to complex and costly health needs.
Connect Immune Research
The Connect Immune Research initiative brings together researchers from across autoimmune conditions to uncover the common threads in their work. We hope this will lead to new treatments, faster.
As well as speeding up research into new treatments for millions of people, the approach could also dramatically reduce costs. So, member charities believe this innovative approach could be key to help medical research adapt to the impact of the COVID-19 crisis.
Dr David Coutts, our Senior Research Manager, said:
“We want autoimmunity to be recognised as a distinct area of research science, alongside the likes of cancer, infectious disease and dementia. By autoimmune charities working together in this way, we hope to speed up and strengthen research so we can find a way of preventing these conditions.”
What have we achieved so far?
Since 2018, we've supported 13 research projects and 55 researchers though the Connect Immune Research partnership.
We've also run joint campaigns with other member organisations to raise awareness of autoimmune conditions. And highlight the need for investment in autoimmune research.
Keep up to date with all things Connect Immune Research on the Breakthrough T1D website.
This blog was first published on 29 October 2018. We updated it on 8 June 2021, May 2024 and again in September 2026 with more information about research funded through the partnership.
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