CANVASS

Serum calprotectin in acute anterior uveitis and axial spondyloarthritis – a prospective cohort study

CANVASS and the road to early AxSpA diagnosis

Axial spondyloarthritis (AxSpA) is a chronic inflammatory disease that mainly affects the axial skeleton (sacroiliac joints and spine) causing chronic back pain and early morning stiffness. 

AxSpA is estimated to affect one in 200 adults in the UK with onset from late teens to early twenties. It is often misdiagnosed as musculoskeletal back pain, resulting in a substantial delay between symptom onset and diagnosis.

CANVASS aims to address the delay in diagnosis by validating serum calprotectin as a potential biomarker to enable clinicians to make timely and informed decisions about AxSpA in ophthalmology and rheumatology clinics. 

The research will be based at North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust as it is well-equipped with specialist services, state-of-the-art facilities and strong research links through an established research and development department.

What's next?

Working under the supervision of Consultant Rheumatologist, Dr Wiranthi Gunasekera, we have put together a grant proposal under the National Institue for Health Research's Research for Patient Benefit program. Additionally, we are consulting with known AxSpA patients in focus groups as well as with the National Axial Spondyloarthritis Society to ensure our study is not only scientifically rigorous, but can have a real and meaningful impact on patient lives.