What triggers gout flares: looking at immune cells in joints and blood
Official title: Revealing novel mechanisms of gout flares by transcriptional phenotyping synovial and peripheral blood mononuclear cells.
Funded at University of Alabama at Birmingham · NIH-11194466 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers will compare immune cell activity in joint fluid and blood from people with gout before and during flares to find genes that drive attacks.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Alabama at Birmingham NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Birmingham, United States) |
| Project start | September 18, 2024 |
| Project end | August 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $335,762 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AR084827-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11194466 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults enrolled in the TRUST trial with a history of gout who can provide blood and undergo joint fluid collection during an active flare are ideal candidates.
✕Less likely to help
People without gout, those not enrolled in the parent TRUST trial, or those unwilling or unable to undergo arthrocentesis would not directly participate or benefit from this study.
What this research studies
If you join this ancillary to the TRUST trial, you would give blood and, during an active gout flare, a joint fluid sample via arthrocentesis. Scientists will isolate immune cells from those samples and use flow cytometry and gene-expression (transcriptomic) tests to see which genes and cell types change during a flare. The work is time-sensitive, so samples must be collected quickly when a flare starts. The goal is to identify molecular signals in joint and blood cells that may cause or worsen gout attacks.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could reveal molecular triggers of gout flares that point to better-targeted treatments or preventive approaches.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work has flagged some inflammatory genes linked to gout, but time-sensitive joint-fluid transcriptomic profiling during flares is a novel and less-tested approach.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Birmingham, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Merriman, Tony R — University of Alabama at Birmingham
- Study coordinator: Merriman, Tony R
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Treat-to-Target Urate in Gout: A New Approach for Better Pain and Health
A large clinical trial tests whether aiming for a specific uric acid level in gout patients improves symptoms and health outcomes compared with avoiding symptoms.
-
Translational Genomics in Gout: Linking GWAS Signals to Mechanisms
Aims to understand why some people with high uric acid develop gout by connecting genetic clues to the biology of joint inflammation.
-
Genetic clues to gout flares through cell gene activity in blood and joint fluid
Researchers will study how genes turn on or off in immune cells from blood and joint fluid during gout flares to understand why flares happen.
-
Uric acid skin sensor to guide gout treatment and diet
A skin patch that measures uric acid in sweat is being tested to help people with gout manage their diet and medications better.
-
Wearable skin patch that tracks uric acid and metabolites for people with gout
A wearable skin patch will measure uric acid and other metabolites around meals to help people with gout make better diet and medication choices.
-
Gout and Kidney Disease: How gout changes as kidney disease gets worse and after kidney transplant
This project follows people with gout as their kidney disease progresses toward dialysis or transplant, using national kidney data to understand how often gout flares happen and how care needs change.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.