Scleroderma and Raynaud’s Research Group

About us

We are an interdisciplinary team of researchers and clinicians based at The University of Manchester and Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust (SRFT).

SRFT is a referral centre for patients with scleroderma (also called systemic sclerosis), and many patients attending SRFT have participated in research projects run by our group.

We benefit enormously from the expertise of the Centre for Musculoskeletal Research and we also have close links with other groups in the University, including the:

  • Centre for Imaging Sciences
  • Photon Science Institute
  • Centre for Dermatology
  • School of Chemistry

National and international collaborations are also crucial to our work given the rarity of systemic sclerosis and the complex challenges that this disease presents.

Group members and Associates (A-Z)
  • Andrea Murray, Senior Lecturer
  • Ariane Herrick, Professor of Rheumatology
  • Calvin Heal, Statistician
  • Chris Taylor, Associate Vice President for Research
  • Deb Griffiths-Jones, Trial Manager
  • Elizabeth Marjanovic, Research Fellow
  • Graham Dinsdale, Clinical Scientist
  • Jack Wilkinson, Statistician
  • Joanne Manning, Senior Vascular Technician (SRFT)
  • Kyle Burgess, Research Associate
  • Lisa Robogo, Vascular Technician (SRFT)
  • Liz Wragg, Specialist Scleroderma Nurse (SRFT)
  • Mark Dickinson, Professor of Photon Physics
  • Maya Buch, Clinical Professor of Rheumatology
  • Melissa Mandzuk, Vascular Technician (SRFT)
  • Michael Berks, Research Associate
  • Michael Hughes, Consultant Rheumatologist (Sheffield)
  • Muditha Samaranayaka, Consultant Rheumatologist (SRFT)
  • Paul New, Research Assistant (SRFT)
  • Praveen Gurunath Bharathi, Research Associate
  • Rachel Watson, Professor of Cutaneous Science
  • Sarah Wilkinson, Research Assistant
  • Will Gregory, Consultant Physiotherapist (SRFT)

Our research

We have an active programme of clinical and scientific research investigating the pathophysiology, epidemiology, measurement and treatment of systemic sclerosis and primary Raynaud’s phenomenon

Our group also studies primary Raynaud’s phenomenon when Raynaud’s occurs in the absence of any underlying condition, and on localised scleroderma (morphoea) when scleroderma occurs in the absence of underlying connective tissue disease.

Research themes

Find out more about our six main areas of research and the projects within them.

Publications

All of our publications can be found on the University’s Research Explorer.

Funding

Our current research is made possible by recent funding from Scleroderma and Raynaud’s UK, Versus Arthritis, the NIHR, the Wellcome Trust, EULAR, the MRC, the British Skin Foundation and the Scleroderma Clinicial Trials Consortium (Betty Benedict award).

Take part in a study

We invite people affected by scleroderma and Raynaud’s phenomenon to take part in our research. We also need healthy people to volunteer for many of our imaging studies.

Participants are volunteesr for a variety of research projects that include investigations of:

  • scleroderma
  • Raynaud’s phenomenon
  • morphoea

Participants are always reimbursed for travel expenses.

For more information, or to register your interest, please contact:

Dr Graham Dinsdale
Tel: +44 (0)161 206 2935
Email: graham.dinsdale@srft.nhs.uk

 

Living with Scleroderma and Raynaud’s

If you or someone you know is affected by scleroderma or primary Raynaud’s phenomenon, there are a number of organisations that produce excellent information leaflets and who run patient support groups.

Resources

Patient education days

The Salford Royal clinical service also offers patient education days with talks from doctors, specialist nurses and allied health professionals and the opportunity to meet other patients and their families.

These information days are intended for Salford patients. The patient support organisations listed above also host similar events.

Contact us

Please get in touch with us if you have any questions using the information provided.

Dr Graham Dinsdale

Tel:  +44 (0)161 206 2935
Email: graham.dinsdale@srft.nhs.uk

Twitter: @SclerodermaM / @McrNCM