A YORK scientist is to play a crucial part in researching the causes of a crippling joint disease.

Dr Vera Knauper, a lecturer in biology at the University of York, has been awarded a £145,880 grant by the Arthritis Research Campaign over three years, to research osteoarthritis - which affects more than two million people in the UK.

The disease causes stiff, painful joints and cannot be cured. There is no effective treatment to stop osteoarthritis worsening, only pain relief and replacing the worn-out joints.

Dr Knauper will research a protein that blocks the activity of an enzyme that causes cartilage destruction.

Cartilage is a slippery substance at the end of bones, which acts as a shock absorber and allows the joints to move freely.

The wearing away of cartilage leads to the development of arthritis.

Dr Knauper said she hoped her research may ultimately lead to a new therapy which could help people keep their joints intact and healthy.

She said: "Certain enzymes called MMPs break down the tissues of the body such as cartilage and can be viewed as biological scissors which chop up the components making up these tissues.

"These enzymes are normally kept in check by an inhibitor called RECK, which blocks the activity of these MMPs. We have shown that as arthritis progresses, insufficient amounts of RECK are produced, which allows the MMP enzymes to destroy the joints.

"We don't know why this happens and in this project we want to find out how RECK works to protect the joints."

Dr Knauper said both nationally and internationally, scientists were turning their attention to try to understand how and why osteoarthritis happens and to find out more about the numerous enzymes that appear to be responsible for cartilage breakdown.

The Arthritis Research Campaign is the fourth largest medical research charity in the UK. It is the only one solely dedicated to finding the cause and cure of all kinds of arthritis.

Updated: 08:35 Tuesday, April 13, 2004