Speaker: Dr Raj Sengupta – Royal United Hospitals, Bath, United Kingdom

Abstract: Management of long term conditions in Rheumatology require regular interactions between clinicians and patients. However, the patient journey from the onset of patient symptoms to optimal disease control can be improved. The continued understanding of the disease processes and the varied phenotype and responses to treatments are starting to enable the path to personalised treatments. Technological advances in biomarker analysis, imaging, drug discovery and software development are key to achieving these goals in our patients. In this talk, taking axial spondyloarthritis as an example of a long term rheumatic disease, I will present research work from collaborations at the University of Bath and explore the opportunities to truly achieve the holy grail of precision medicine.

Speaker profile: Dr. Raj Sengupta is a Consultant Rheumatologist and Lead for the Rheumatology service and Axial Spondyloarthritis at The Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases, Bath (RNRHD).

He is a member of the British Society for Rheumatology (BSR) Spondyloarthritis Special Interest Group, the BSR axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) Biologics Guidelines Committee and a member of ASAS (Assessment of Spondyloarthritis International Society). Dr. Sengupta has represented the BSR at the NICE TA383 appraisal for anti-TNF in axSpA. Dr. Sengupta is a Medical Advisor for the National Axial Spondyloarthritis Society (NASS) and is one of the founding members of BRITSpA. He was the recipient of the 2016 NASS Patients Choice award for the best care provided by a Rheumatologist.

Dr. Sengupta is the Principal Investigator (PI) in several national and international clinical trials in axial spondyloarthritis. He has a number of peer reviewed publications on axSpA. He has also been an invited speaker on axSpA at several national and international meetings.